Stars of the hit ABC police drama The Rookie have disclosed a medical scare that disrupted filming for the show's upcoming eighth season while the cast was on location in Prague.
An Overseas Emergency
While filming new episodes abroad last year, actor Bridget Regan, who portrays the morally ambiguous defence attorney Monica Stevens, fell seriously ill. Her co-stars and on-screen couple Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan shared the news in a recent interview, explaining that the 43-year-old actress was hospitalised.
"Bridget got food poisoning," revealed Fillion, 54, to People magazine. "So she spent a little time in the hospital." The incident occurred as the production filmed scenes for the new season, which premieres on Tuesday, 6 January 2026.
Recovery and Gratitude
In a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly, Regan detailed her ordeal and subsequent recovery. "Working in Prague on The Rookie was extraordinary, though I was a bit unlucky and got hit with some truly nasty food poisoning," she said.
She was quick to praise the medical teams who assisted her, crediting "the incredible care of the hospital staff in Prague" and the show's own "phenomenal on-set medic" for her recovery, which involved significant fluids and medication.
Regan also expressed deep appreciation for the support from her colleagues, singling out Dewan and Fillion for their kindness. "The Rookie family is a family in every sense," she concluded, adding a memorable note about eventually walking the "gorgeous Prague streets in Monica’s heels."
Monica Stevens's Bigger Role in Season Eight
The incident happened as Regan's character is poised for a more prominent storyline. After striking an immunity deal with Fillion's John Nolan and Dewan's Bailey Nune in the season seven finale, the corrupt lawyer will work alongside them to target terrorists as the new season opens.
Fillion hinted at the friction this will cause, telling People that Nolan finds the arrangement a "stick in the craw." He elaborated, "I think it just frustrates Nolan to no end that someone so criminal and so terrible and so smug about it can get away with it. She's not doing hard time."
Season eight of The Rookie premieres on ABC on Tuesday, 6 January, at 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, 7 January). New episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.
