“The Rookie” Brings Back Controversial Character, Creator Says Fans Should Expect to See Them 'a Few More Times'
- - “The Rookie” Brings Back Controversial Character, Creator Says Fans Should Expect to See Them 'a Few More Times'
Julia MooreJanuary 22, 2026 at 3:35 AM
0
Disney/Larry Horricks
From left: Nathan Fillion, Bridget Regan and Jenna Dewan in 'The Rookie' season 8
Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Rookie season 8.
The Jan. 20 episode of The Rookie season 8 saw the return of a controversial character
Creator Alexi Hawley said he wanted to bring the character back because their previous storyline was "really provocative and interesting," and seemed to tease a possible redemption arc to come
New episodes of The Rookie air Mondays on ABC
A familiar face just returned to The Rookie.
Patrick Keleher, who joined the ABC series in season 7 as rookie Seth Ridley — who turned out to be a pathological liar scheming to get through training — returned in the Tuesday, Jan. 20 episode of season 8.
Miles (Deric Augustine) paid Seth a visit to see how he was recovering after he had his leg amputated following taking a bullet for Nolan (Nathan Fillion), but things were tense between them. Later, during a second visit, Miles and Seth seemed to patch things up — or to at least be on the right track to mend their relationship.
His return was met with mixed reactions from fans, as one person wrote in a post on X that they "would've preferred a funeral scene" if they had to see Seth on-screen again. "Genuinely what was the point of bringing Seth back in The Rookie," wrote another fan.
Disney/Mike Taing
Patrick Keleher in 'The Rookie'
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Creator Alexi Hawley told Deadline that he wanted to bring Seth back in season 8 because his storyline last season "was really provocative and interesting."
"Can you redeem a character who really has not just f---ed up, but really crossed the lines? That was what was interesting to me," Hawley told the outlet. "And then to not have it be easy, it’s not as easy as just calling people and apologizing, and you get forgiven, and everything’s good."
In bringing Seth back, Hawley said he wanted to set up something of a redemption arc for the character.
"Seth still has a lot of maturing to do, and he needs to understand, ultimately, that some trauma that you’ve inflicted on other people you’ll never be forgiven for, and you have to figure out how to walk that path," he told the outlet.
"Seth is still very defensive and a victim. I think we see a lot of that, sadly, in the world right now, the sense of victimhood. Not to get political, but somehow you’re always the victim of stuff that happens to you, as opposed to, sometimes you do stuff that’s bad, and you should pay for it."
Disney/Mike Taing
Patrick Keleher (left) and Melissa O'Neil in 'The Rookie'
Hawley confirmed that Seth will return "a few more times this season" but did not get into the specifics of what fans can expect. "We’re starting a conversation with this episode, but he will be back."
Augustine had teased previously that season 8 would feature a surprising return of a character, as he told PEOPLE that the return would allow fans to "really see the true dynamic of their relationship."
“You're going to see them come together and really air it out," he told PEOPLE. "It's such a huge spoiler that I can't even indulge more in it, but that's going to be a phenomenal scene, and scenes, to really look at and to appreciate the craft of acting."
New episodes of The Rookie premiere Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
