Entertainment Extra

2 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA By Kyla Brewer TV Media C op shows have been around practically since the dawn of television, and there's still noth- ing 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 happens when a prime- time hit returns to the airwaves. Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") reprises his role as John Nolan, a cop who sets out to find a colleague after she goes miss- ing 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 Reynolds in the cult favorite TV series "Firefly" and its subse- quent 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-rat- ed network series: "The Rookie." At the end of last season, pregnant Det. Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz, "Ray Donovan") was preparing to marry her lawyer fiancé, Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore, "The Boys"), when she disappeared; a disap- pearance 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 hold- ing Lopez at a compound out- side 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 pro- tect our own." The trailer shows La Fiera with Lopez, who thankfully appears to be unharmed. Unfortunately, Wesley also seems to have gotten into trou- ble as he's seen being 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, dash- ing his hopes of ever making detective. Now working on becoming a training officer him- self, 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 pic- ture 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 another 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 speculation 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? Schwering Realty 2 x 2" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" On the Cover Nathan Fillion as seen in "The Rookie" 'The Rookie' returns after cliffhanger finale with more drama Chase Center 3 x 2" American Legion Post 60 2 x 3" Thrifty Muffler 2 x 2.5" 230 Burlington Avenue Logansport 574-992-8038 Tired of Shopping Around for THE Right Mechanic? BRAKE SPECIAL $89.95 PER AXLE. FOR MOST CARS AND TRUCKS Give us an opportunity to earn your business! "We do it Better for Less!"

• Cover