‘The Rookie’ Shocker: Tru Valentino Exiting Ahead of Season 7

Well, the good news is that this isn’t coming after a finale that left his character’s life hanging in the balance. But the bad news is Tru Valentino will not be part of The Rookie Season 7 cast.

Valentino is not returning when the ABC drama comes back in the midseason, TV Insider has confirmed (the news was first reported by TVLine). This comes after Valentino was a series regular, playing Officer Aaron Thorsen, for two seasons; he recurred his first season, the show’s fourth (its second episode was his debut).

Thorsen started out as the rookie cop who was well-known at the time for being acquitted of murder. In Season 6, he started going to therapy and seeing Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell), after he was shot on the job in the previous finale. Blair turned out to be dirty and tied up in the season-ending case. That was the focus of the final episodes of the season, and we’ll have to wait to see how Thorsen’s absence is explained when The Rookie returns in 2025.

Season 6 didn’t end with a direct cliffhanger but rather a few ominous threats for the officers to be worried about. Monica (Bridget Regan) fled in the chaos while Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Harper (Mekia Cox), with help from The Rookie: Feds characters (Felix Solis‘ Garza, Britt Robertson‘s Laura, and Kevin Zegers‘ Brendon) saved Blair. She told them everything about working for Monica. Meanwhile, Monica had made a deal to get intel on the man who wanted her dead and helped Oscar (Matthew Glave) escape from prison—and he enlisted Bailey’s (Jenna Dewan) ex-husband, Jason (Steve Kazee), for help, so now he’s free, too.

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“I think Jason’s probably the most immediate problem. I can’t necessarily comment on Oscar and Monica yet, but I think obviously Jason is the one with the most specific, the most harmful intent towards anybody on our show at the moment,” executive producer Alexi Hawley told TV Insider after the finale.

And in general, looking ahead to what’s to come, “we know we have some big shoes to fill after Season 6. We took some big swings and I love that we keep challenging ourselves and, look, we do even better, but yet at the same time, how do we just lean more into how much everybody loves these characters?” said Hawley. “I feel super lucky that we get to have fun every week, even if we do some stuff that’s high stakes or tragic or whatever, that tonally, because we do everything, it allows us to really give you an episode every week that just really keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

The Rookie will have two new recurring guest stars for its seventh season in Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher’s new rookies. Augustine’s Miles, as a Texas transfer, is considered a “rookie” despite being a two-year veteran of the force. Keleher’s Seth seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action—something that doesn’t come naturally to him.

How do you think The Rookie will explain Thorsen’s absence? Let us know your theories in the comments section, below.

The Rookie, Season 7, 2025, ABC