'The Rookie' showrunner plans to bring back this notorious villain: 'He’s such a great actor...'

'The Rookie' showrunner plans to bring back this recurring antagonist who has some unfinished business with the force.
A still from 'The Rookie' (Cover Image Source: ABC | Kelsey McNeal)
A still from 'The Rookie' (Cover Image Source: ABC | Kelsey McNeal)

There are some characters that fans love to hate, and for 'The Rookie' fans, that is serial killer Liam Glasser (Seth Gabel). Showrunner Alexi Hawley recently shared with TV Insider that the notorious villain will return in the next season. Hawley shared that he is not only looking forward to exploring the character more, but also to collaborating with Gabel. “He’s such a great actor, and so we’re dying to get him back," he shared. For those unaware, Liam is a recurring antagonist whom viewers first come across in season seven. Across several episodes, he repeatedly interacts with Nyla Harper; however, he first encounters her in ‘Darkness Falling,’ where he attacks and incapacitates her. He confronts her again before Harper arrests him in ‘Wildfire.’

A still of Liam from 'The Rookie'
A still of Liam from 'The Rookie' (Image Source: ABC)

In Season 8, Liam's case was unraveled after his lawyer used Nyla's previous threat against him in ‘Til Death’ to argue that he was coerced. The whole case gets dismissed when Harrison Novak falsely confesses to most of the murders that Liam is accused of. However, Liam faces a loss in his personal life with his divorce. The circumstances also put his personal safety into question, as a family member of one of his victims began attacking him. At one point, the LAPD dispatches officers to protect him from attacks. The last time viewers saw him, Liam had lost custody of his children, all thanks to some timely interference by Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion).

A still of Liam from 'The Rookie'
A still of Liam from 'The Rookie' (Image Source: ABC)

Hawley has an idea of what the killer might be doing currently, after so many upheavals. "I think, ultimately, in my mind, he’s laying a little low at first." The showrunner also assured that the LAPD is not giving up its pursuit. "Our hands are a little tied because he won against us, so we can’t be overt in anything we do to keep an eye on him, but he’ll definitely be back,” he said. “I just haven’t quite landed how I want to do it yet.”

A still of Liam from 'The Rookie'
A still of Liam from 'The Rookie'  (Image Source: ABC)

For Nyla, more than anyone else, he remains a priority. Furthermore, her history with Glasser has caused her plenty of trouble. “She’s also had to deal with this litigation with the lawyers and she’s trying to figure out — she’s also had to deal with the fact that she got demoted for a little while and that was hard for her and so he’s causing a lot of roughness in her life that she wasn’t expecting and so I think she’s at this point where she’s like, ‘I would like him behind bars forever,’” the actress shared. All episodes of 'The Rookie' are currently streaming on Hulu. 

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