Is The Rookie about to say goodbye to a longtime member of its cast? Well, that is certainly the fear among the fandom at the moment after it was announced that star Jenna Dewan had joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars season 35.
Dewan is set to put on her dancing shoes and compete as part of the cast of ABC’s beloved competition series, which kicks off its new season on September 15. Assuming Dewan makes a deep run and makes it to the finale, she could potentially be filming Dancing with the Stars through late November. The problem is that The Rookie is also currently in production and will be filming for several months, which is what has led many fans to worry about whether Dewan will be taking a step back from The Rookie in order to compete on Dancing with the Stars.
So is there a chance that we won’t be seeing Dewan back as firefighter Bailey Nune when season 9 premieres on ABC in 2027? Thankfully, the answer appears to be no!
After the cast announcement, Dewan confirmed to TV Insider that she will not be exiting The Rookie and will actually be shooting season 9 at the same time she’s competing on Dancing with the Stars.
“I’m doing both at the same time. They’re being amazing. They’re all so excited for this opportunity, and they’re really working it out between the two productions. But yes. I’m gonna be slightly insane going in between filming The Rookie and coming here and doing the shows, but it’s all exciting. I’m here for the challenge, and the best people in the world are working it out.”
It certainly helps that both Dancing with the Stars and The Rookie are ABC originals, which is likely what has made it possible for Dewan to film both shows at the same time.
Now, while Dewan is not leaving The Rookie, we wouldn’t be surprised if she perhaps takes on a smaller role in the early episodes of season 9 to help accommodate Dewan’s busier than normal schedule. There might even be an episode here or there where Bailey is sidelined entirely, which we'll more than understand, and Dewan missing the odd episode is much better than her taking a step back from the show to compete on Dancing with the Stars.
This is honestly the best of both worlds for The Rookie fans. We’ll get to see Dewan competing on Dancing with the Stars in the fall and will undoubtedly get to see her costars from The Rookie drop in to watch her compete, and then we’ll get to see Dewan back in action when The Rookie season 9 premieres in 2027. With The Rookie fans behind her, we certainly won’t be surprised to see Dewan make it all the way to finale night and look forward to seeing whether her partner Val Chmerkovskiy might make a cameo sometime in The Rookie season 9.
Dancing with the Stars season 35 premieres Tuesday, September 15 at 8/7c on ABC.
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