Is Nathan Fillion Leaving The Rookie? The Truth Behind the Rumors
Nathan Fillion isn’t turning in his badge anytime soon. As The Rookie powers through season 8, the 54-year-old tells People’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive issue he’s in it for the long haul—eying the beat a decade from now on ABC’s hit cop drama.
Nathan Fillion is not punching out of The Rookie anytime soon. In fact, he is thinking really long-term. And while he is locking in on ABC’s cop show, he is also suiting up for DC’s Lanterns on HBO. Busy man, louder ring.
Fillion on The Rookie: not leaving, not even close
In People Magazine’s 2025 Sexiest Man Alive issue, the 54-year-old laid out a plan that sounds like a decade-long commitment to Officer John Nolan. He even spelled out the timeline himself:
'In 10 years, I would like to be just wrapping up The Rookie, maybe handing it off to someone else.'
If you were betting on a sudden exit, that pretty much kills the chatter. He also floated what he called a 'soft retirement' version of the future: swing by for guest spots on The Rookie, pop up in multiple spin-offs, and spend more time at a beach house. Honestly, not a terrible endgame.
Season 8 goes international for the first time
Season 8 is locked for early 2026 and opens with an overseas detour: the show filmed part of its premiere in Prague in late June 2025. That is the first time The Rookie has shot outside the U.S., and the production made the trip count, hitting several marquee locations with the core cast in tow.
- Premiere: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC
- Where it lands in the lineup: airs after Will Trent Season 4 and alongside High Potential Season 2 on ABC’s Tuesday nights
- Prague shoot: Invalidovna complex, Old Town city center, Jan Palach Square, and the Rudolfinum concert hall
- Who was there: Nathan Fillion, Melissa O'Neil, Mekia Cox, Bridget Regan, and Jenna Dewan
- The basics: series premiered October 16, 2018; seven seasons and 126 episodes so far
- Creator/showrunner: Alexi Hawley (renewed the show for Season 8 in April 2025)
- Where to stream past seasons: Hulu
- Current scorecard: IMDb around 8/10; Rotten Tomatoes about 68%
The DC side quest: Lanterns
Meanwhile, Fillion is dipping back into the Green Lantern universe, this time in live action. HBO announced in March 2025 that he is playing Guy Gardner in Lanterns, an eight-episode series from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television. A quick timeline quirk: production actually started in February 2025 under showrunner Chris Mundy (Ozark), with Damon Lindelof and Tom King as creators. So yes, cameras rolled before the official splashy announcement. Hollywood loves a head start.
Fillion’s Gardner first showed up on the big screen in Superman, which hit theaters July 11, 2025. Lanterns pairs Kyle Chandler as veteran Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as new recruit John Stewart, and the story centers on a murder case in the American heartland. Gardner’s the 'gregarious, smug' wild card in that mix. Fillion has joked he swore more playing Guy than in his entire career combined, which tracks.
Also worth noting: Fillion is no rookie to this corner of DC. He previously voiced Hal Jordan across six animated films between 2011 and 2019, including Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and The Death of Superman. No premiere date yet for Lanterns, but early 2026 is the window HBO is eyeing.
The bottom line
Fillion’s not just staying with The Rookie — he is essentially planting a flag on it for another decade — while also jumping into a very loud, very fun Green Lantern gig. Not exactly a quiet side project, and it should make for an interesting 2026 for anyone who likes their TV with badges or power rings.
When to watch
The Rookie Season 8 premieres Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Lanterns does not have a date yet, but early 2026 is the expectation. Which one are you more excited for: Nolan’s next chapter or Guy Gardner’s chaos? I genuinely cannot tell you to pick just one.