Why Tru Valentino's Aaron Thorsen Left The Rookie In Season 7: Actor & Character Exit Explained

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from The Rookie season 7, episode 1, "The Shot."

The Rookie lost another officer in season 7 — Aaron Thorsen, played by Tru Valentino. Aaron entered the story at the beginning of season 4 as the ABC police procedural TV show's latest rookie, and his training officer was Nyla Harper. When Harper went on maternity leave in season 5, John Nolan took over as Aaron's TO before he was ultimately promoted. For two seasons of The Rookie, Aaron worked as a P2 (Police Officer II). However, he also expressed interest in becoming a detective. Unfortunately, Aaron never got a chance to achieve his dream onscreen in The Rookie.

Tru Valentino's Aaron Thorsen was introduced in The Rookie season 4 to replace Jackson West following his tragic death.

Valentino's character was unlike the rookies who came before him as his background story was quite unique. Aaron's family was rich, and he grew up very privileged, later becoming famous on social media. Unfortunately, his whole world came crashing down when his roommate and best friend, Patrick Hayes, was murdered while they were studying abroad in Paris. Aaron was accused of killing Patrick and spent over a year in prison before being acquitted. Afterward, Aaron decided to become a cop, and the rest is history.The Rookie character's story came to a close, though, during the season 7 premiere.

Why Tru Valentino Left The Rookie

The Actor's Exit Was A Creative Decision

Months after the season 6 finale, TVLineannounced that Tru Valentino would leave The Rookie ahead of season 7, while Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher would join the cast. At first, the reasoning behind Valentino's exit was unclear. Nothing in the previous episode suggested that the actor's character, Aaron, would depart from the show. Yes, Aaron's therapist, Dr. Blair London, turned out to be one of the bad guys working for Monica Stevens. However, that didn't seem like a big reason for Aaron to leave Mid-Wilshire at the time.

As the days went on, it became clear that Valentino's exit was the result of a creative decision made by The Rookie's producers. He didn't leave because of another opportunity but exited because showrunner Alexi Hawley and co. wanted to write Aaron out of the series. Valentino shared his reaction to the news on his Instagram stories. According to TV Insider, the actor wrote:

"I will always cherish my time on The Rookie but couldn't be more excited for what the future has in store. I adore the friends and relationships made while being there. It was such an amazing opportunity and feel so lucky to have had the last 3 seasons. Thank you to the best fans in the world, I know I don't talk much, but I appreciate you all so much."

How The Rookie Season 7 Writes Out Aaron Thorsen

Aaron Transferred Stations

Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez and Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen talk at a wedding in The Rookie season 6, episode 2. — Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez and Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen in The Rookie season 6, episode 2.

The Rookie season 6 finale served as Aaron's final episode as a main character, meaning the season 7 premiere had to explain his absence. Unfortunately, the details behind his exit were minimal. While in their squad car, Nolan asked his rookie, Celina Juarez, how Aaron was adjusting to working at the North Hollywood station. She responded that he was doing well. Celina revealed that no one there knows about what happened between Aaron and Blair, which is seemingly why he transferred stations, and that was the only time The Rookie season 7, episode 1 addressed Aaron's underwhelming exit.

The Rookie Season 7 Cast	Character
Nathan Fillion	John Nolan
Richard T. Jones	Wade Grey
Alyssa Diaz	Angela Lopez
Eric Winter	Tim Bradford
Melissa O'Neil	Lucy Chen
Mekia Cox	Nyla Harper
Shawn Ashmore	Wesley Evers
Jenna Dewan	Bailey Nune
Lisseth Chavez	Celina Juarez
Deric Augustine	Miles Penn
Patrick Kelehe	Seth Ridley

So, Aaron's absence was explained in an offhand comment made by Celina during The Rookie season 7 premiere. He is simply now working in North Hollywood instead of at Mid-Wilshire. While transferring stations somewhat makes sense for the character, the show didn't give Aaron's departure the attention it deserves, especially since Valentino was a series regular. At least season 7 didn't kill Aaron offscreen in a similar fashion to Jackson West's exit in The Rookie season 4, though.

Could Tru Valentino's Aaron Still Return In The Rookie's Future?

The Door Is Open For Valentino To Reprise His Role

The good news is that Aaron can still return in future episodes of The Rookie. When addressing his exit, Tru Valentino noted in his Instagram story, "You never know who may pop back up in the Mid-Wilshire Precinct." The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley also suggested there was a glimmer of hope for Aaron to come back while speaking with Screen Rant. When asked about Aaron's possible return, Hawley shared:

"Of course. Tru [Valentino] is a great actor, and he was a huge part of our show for several seasons, and so we'd love to have him back in some capacity. It just ultimately felt like, creatively, for where the show was going, that we needed to pivot a bit. But he's still very much alive in our universe."

Perhaps Valentino could reprise his role in an episode or two in the future. However, Hawley didn't make it sound like a potential Aaron return would ever be permanent. Fans should be on the lookout for cameos, though, since Valentino is welcome back and Aaron is still alive and well in The Rookie universe.