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2 • September 26 - October 2, 2021 Screen & Stream By Kyla Brewer TV Media C op shows have been around practically since the dawn of television, and there's still nothing quite like a good police drama, especially one with a nail-biting cliffhanger season finale. After months of waiting, anxious fans will finally find out what hap- pens when a prime-time hit re- turns to the airwaves. Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") reprises his role as John Nolan, a cop who sets out to find a col- league after she goes missing in the season premiere of "The Rookie," airing Sunday, Sept. 26, on ABC. The debut marks the fourth season of the hour- long drama centered on Nolan, a 40-something cop — and oldest rookie in the history of the LAPD — who works at the Mid-Wilshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. The police drama is the latest in a string of hits for Canadian- American actor Fillion, who rose to fame as Capt. Malcolm Reyn- olds in the cult favorite TV series "Firefly" and its subsequent spinoff film, "Serenity" (2005), and as Richard Castle in the ABC crime drama "Castle." Born and raised in Edmonton, Fillion moved south to pursue a career in acting, landing roles in TV shows "One Life to Live" and "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" and in the movie "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). Now, he's leading the cast of one of prime time's highest-rated network series: "The Rookie." At the end of last season, pregnant Det. Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz, "Ray Donovan") was preparing to marry her law- yer fiancé, Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore, "The Boys"), when she disappeared; a disappear- ance that has been linked to her nemesis, dangerous Guatemalan drug lord Sandra "La Fiera" De La Cruz (Camille Guaty, "Prison Break"). The official 30-second promo for the Season 4 premiere of "The Rookie" promises an action-packed episode as Lopez's police family sets out to find her. Wesley reveals to Nolan, Sgt. Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones, "Judging Amy"), Officer Tim Bradford (Eric Winter, "The Mentalist"), Officer Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil, "Dark Matter") and Officer Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox, "90210") that La Fiera is holding Lopez at a compound outside Guatemala City and tells them he's going to get her back. Watch commander Sgt. Wade Grey later insists, "We move heaven and earth to protect our own." The trailer shows La Fiera with Lopez, who thankfully appears to be unharmed. Unfortunately, Wesley also seems to have got- ten into trouble as he's seen be- ing forced into a vehicle before Lopez can be heard screaming "no." Fans are anxiously awaiting news of what will happen with John Nolan's character as well. His rookie status was extended when he received a reprimand at the start of last season, dashing his hopes of ever making detec- tive. Now working on becoming a training officer himself, his future isn't entirely clear. What we do know about Season 4 is that in August, Fillion sparked a social media frenzy when he posted a picture of a T-shirt from the show's wardrobe department on Instagram with a tag that read: "NOLAN TO BE FIREPROOFED," to which he quipped: "WHY DO I NEED TO BE FIREPROOF?" The Season 4 trailer points to clues that the rescue mission doesn't exactly go off without a hitch as Bradford indicates they need to switch to Plan B, and an- other voice, presumably Chen's, can be heard saying: "We have an officer down." As for whom that officer is and what his/her/their fate may be, it's anyone's guess. However, there has been some specula- tion about actor Titus Makin Jr.'s ("Pretty Little Liars") role this season. Makin has portrayed promis- ing young cop Jackson West since the show's very first epi- sode in 2018, but worried fans have pointed out that he is miss- ing from both the trailer for the newest season and the Season 4 poster that has been plastered all over "The Rookie's" official social media pages. The network is keeping mum about what may or may not have befallen West when he went to check on Lopez right before her wedding in the Season 3 finale, so anxious fans will have to tune in to the season opener to find out. It is interesting to note, how- ever, that in early 2021, Makin told EW.com that he almost did not return for Season 3. But there may be some hope for West's fans yet. Makin is credited for an appearance in this season's pre- miere, entitled "Life and Death." After that, though, who knows? Makin would be a tremen- dous loss for the series, as would any of the diverse cast. While Fillion may be the headliner, he has some serious backup, and the show is a true ensemble pro- gram that showcases a variety of stories and perspectives. "The Rookie" has been praised for its focus on diverse representation as it features Black, LatinX, Asian and LGBTQ+ characters, among others. In addition to ensuring broad representation, the show shines a light on various hot topics related to police work. Notably, the show tackled the issue of systemic racism in policing last season with a storyline that involved Makin's character and racist cop Doug Stanton, played by guest star Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns," 2006). There are more and more choices for TV viewers these days, but "The Rookie's" rat- ings indicate there is still an appetite for police dramas as it consistently draws more than an average of seven million viewers over a variety of viewing platforms. Find out why so many loyal fans have been tuning in when the Season 4 premiere of "The Rookie" airs Sunday, Sept. 26, on ABC. Cover Story Nathan Fillion as seen in "The Rookie" Rescue mission: 'The Rookie' returns after cliffhanger finale with more drama

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