Now I Understand Why The Rookie Is Breaking Up Nolan & Bailey

by

Season 8 of The Rookie is separating the characters Nolan and Bailey, and ABC has hinted at the reason why. The show, created by Alexi Hawley, is doing well in the 2025-2026 television season with consistently good episodes. Following a strong premiere, season 8 is giving fans a compelling combination of intriguing weekly cases and personal stories for the officers at Mid-Wilshire.

Plot twists are important for keeping TV shows, particularly long-running ones like police procedurals, interesting and new. In season 8 of The Rookie, a sudden marital problem for Nolan and Bailey felt very unexpected. After returning from their honeymoon in Prague, the couple disagreed about whether to move to Washington D.C. for Bailey’s job, putting their marriage at risk. Ultimately, they decided to make their relationship work by living apart and maintaining a long-distance setup.

ABC’s Cost-Cutting Explains Why The Rookie Is Splitting Up Nolan & Bailey

©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection

With season 8 of The Rookie halfway through, recent reports suggest ABC is planning for season 9. While the show hasn’t been officially renewed yet, sources say the network is likely to approve it for the 2025-2026 television season – which isn’t a surprise given its popularity. However, the network is also expected to implement cost-cutting measures, which could impact future seasons beyond that point.

Many long-running shows, like Grey’s Anatomy, already use a strategy of changing which characters appear in each episode. This means some characters aren’t in every episode, and their appearances can vary – sometimes spread out, and other times grouped together, as seen when a character like Amelia took a temporary break on Grey’s Anatomy. Bailey’s new job in Washington D.C. provides a natural explanation for why she’ll be appearing less often on The Rookie going forward.

Alexi Hawley, the showrunner, has said he’s long been interested in telling this story. However, it’s also a practical solution, as ABC is likely to reduce costs for season nine of The Rookie. This approach is preferable to simply writing characters off the show without explanation, something that often happens on television.

Why Bailey Is The Perfect Candidate For A Reduced Role On The Rookie

Like many police procedural shows, The Rookie relies on a large cast to help sustain it over many episodes, which is common for network television. But out of all the main actors on The Rookie, Melissa O’Neil’s character, Bailey, is the one who’s least involved in the day-to-day police work at the Mid-Wilshire station.

This isn’t about Jenna Dewan herself, but rather how her character works within the show The Rookie. The rest of the cast all have connections – they either work together closely or have personal relationships. Removing any of them for a long time would throw off the show’s established chemistry and storylines.

Nolan and Bailey facing a long-distance relationship doesn’t necessarily mean their marriage is ending. It will definitely be an adjustment, as it’s new territory for them, but they should be able to make it work. It’s even possible Bailey might discover Washington D.C. isn’t all she hoped for and decide to return to Los Angeles, potentially influencing the future of the show, The Rookie.

Like Screen Rant’s TV coverage? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get exclusive insights from your favorite show stars and creators – just be sure to select “Network TV” in your newsletter preferences!

Read More

2026-02-26 16:48