The Rookie has bid farewell to one of its stars for the rest of season 7! But could they make a return for season 8?
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for The Rookie season 7 episode 16
From the start of season 7, The Rookie has featured two new rookie cops. One is Miles (Deric Augustine), a former Texas cop moving to L.A. The other was Seth Ridley (Patrick Keleher), a nervous but well-meaning cop assigned to be trained by Lucy.
At first, Lucy liked Seth, especially hearing his sob story about losing a high school girlfriend to a drug overdose. But her suspicions were raised when Seth told a different story about the girl and claimed it was another girlfriend. She later learned he'd never dated either girl in high school.
Lucy got more suspicious about Seth's stories even as he claimed his cancer had returned. Lucy did some digging to discover that Seth's doctor had a history of giving false diagnoses for money. Grey demanded that Seth submit to a blood test, but he refused and was fired from the LAPD.
That appeared to be that until episode 16.
What happened with Seth in The Rookie season 7?
In "The Return," the cops were stunned when Seth sauntered into the locker room for another shift like nothing had happened. It seems Seth had sold the department on the story that his doctor had given him a fake diagnosis as part of an insurance scam, and he was a dupe. He thus sued to get his job back with extra pay.
Lucy refused to train Seth, so Nolan took charge. Lucy was also upset to discover former roommate Tamara had fallen for Seth to the point of getting engaged, ignoring Lucy's warnings. Also not happy was Miles, as he'd confided so much in Seth as a friend only to learn the guy was lying about his life, leading to a brief fight.
Seth helped in a call, saving a fugitive con from a dangerous gang. During the gunfight, Seth stopped a crook from shooting Nolan, only to take a nasty shotgun blast to the leg. The doctors saved his life, but had to amputate the leg.
Grey sardonically noted this meant Seth would get benefit pay while Nolan was naturally more grateful for Seth saving his life and could still be a cop. Tamara dropped by with Seth finally confessing that he had paid the doctor for the fake cancer diagnosis and lied about so much else, but his feelings for Tamara were real. She refused to believe him and broke up with him.
It was an unexpected return, but is this the last of Seth on The Rookie?
Will we see Seth in The Rookie season 8?
Speaking to ScreenRant, Keleher confirmed that he was indeed finished for the rest of season 7. He also spoke on how Seth really does want to be a good cop, his lifelong lying keeps getting in the way.
"He wants to be a good cop. That's why he started being a cop in the first place. He wants to make a difference. But God, lying is just deep in his roots, and I wonder if we'll ever go into Seth's past, if we'll ever see him as a child. What happened to him? So I think he's always trying to do the right thing, but it just gets mixed up."
Keleher added that he and showrunner Alexi Hawley crafted a backstory on how Seth's pathological lies came from childhood and escalated.
"As an actor, if you're not given a backstory, you create a backstory. Alexi and I had a conversation very early on in the first couple episodes. Alexi says, "We think he grew up in a lower-class family, but he was friends with a lot of upper-class kids, and to fit in from a very young age, he would lie about being in the upper class." And that's where it all started. So we'll see if that actually is true or not, if that gets locked in."
Keleher stated that Seth harbors no ill will or resentment toward Lucy. He also thinks there's hope for Seth and Tamara, as a deleted scene showed more of them together. While not invited back officially for season 8, the actor would love to continue the role. "Yeah, I think so. I think there's hope."
It would be interesting if Seth returned in season 8. It may be this entire experience is the wakeup call for him on how his constant lying has been a terrible thing and holding him back. He can still work for the LAPD in an office job and being off the streets and not risking himself could be better mentally.
It would also be good to delve more into Seth's background and the reasons behind his lies. Also, how he might reconcile with Tamara and Lucy. He's a compelling character, as Keleher took someone who could have been a flat-out jerk and gave him layers and sympathy. That he ended up being a hero saving Nolan proves the guy's not all bad.
So far, there's no word on if Keleher returns for season 8 yet The Rookie excels at bringing back some past faces so maybe Seth can return after all to wrap up his arc.
The Rookie season 7 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.
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