- - “The Rookie”'s Deric Augustine Teases ‘Huge Spoiler’ Ahead of Season 8 Premiere: ‘Someone Comes Back’ (Exclusive)

Liza EsquibiasJanuary 4, 2026 at 8:00 AM

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Mike Taing/Disney via Getty

Deric Augustine in 'The Rookie' -

Deric Augustiine and Lisseth Chavez tell PEOPLE what they are most excited for viewers to see on the upcoming eighth season of ABC's The Rookie

Teasing a returning character in the form of "reincarnation," they say the surprise is "going to be a good one"

The Rookie season 8 premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day

If you’re feeling nostalgic for characters from The Rookie’s past, you may be in luck.

As fans gear up for the season 8 premiere of the popular drama series on Tuesday, Jan. 6, Deric Augustine and Lisseth Chavez — who play officers Miles Penn and Celina Juarez, respectively — are hinting at some major spoilers during a conversation with PEOPLE.

“There's a certain episode that someone comes back, and you really see the true dynamic of their relationship, the things that they probably went through in their own lives,” Augustine, 35, teases. “You're going to see them come together and really air it out. 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.”

Disney/Mike Taing

From Left: Lisseth Chavez and Deric Augustine in 'The Rookie'

Chavez, 36, adds: “I feel like we have a lot of really cool, fun guest stars that came to this season. One in particular, maybe because it’s for Celina, which is fun. It's Secret Service and reincarnation. That's it.”

“When I read it, I was like, ‘This has Celina written all over it,’ ” notes the Night Night star, who joined the ABC police procedural in a recurring role in season 7 and has since become a main cast member. “It’s going to be a good one.”

The show’s creator Alexi Hawley also tells PEOPLE that there “definitely” will be more familiar faces making appearances this season. “We've been blessed with some really iconic villains — we talked about Monica a little bit, she'll be back,” he shares, referring to the antagonist defense lawyer Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), who will be teaming up with the LAPD, FBI and Interpol in Prague to target high-value terrorists operating within and outside the United States” in the premiere episode, per the official log line.

“I don't think it's too spoiler-y to say we'll see Oscar Hutchinson again this season,” Hawley continues of Matthew Glave’s career-criminal who escaped prison in the season 7 finale. “We are hopeful to get Flula Borg back, who's always fun for us. We are ever-chasing Pete Davidson and his incredibly busy schedule, but we are always hopeful to work and he's really into coming back.”

Hawley further says that “one of the joys” of leading such a long-running series is that “people actually want to be on our show, which makes the phone calls easy to make.”

John Russo/Disney

'The Rookie' cast

The Rookie is based on the story of Los Angeles Police Department officer William "Bill" Norcross (who executive produces). It made its debut in October 2018, following the life of a newly-divorced, 40-something-year-old John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) as he joins the LAPD and navigates the complexities of being the department’s oldest rookie.

Along with Fillion, Augustine and Chavez, the cast includes Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford and Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers.

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The Rookie season 8 premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”