Nathan Fillion Revealed How His ‘Firefly’ Co-Star Ended up on ‘The Rookie’

Actor Nathan Fillion has welcomed a few guest stars on his television show The Rookie. This included a few former Firefly cast members as well.

Nathan Fillion reunited with former ‘Firefly’ co-star on ‘The Rookie’

Fillion has never forgotten his Firefly family, and seems more than willing to collaborate with them whenever the opportunity presents itself. In the first season of his hit show, Fillion saw himself acting alongside Firefly co-star Alan Tudyk. Tudyk made his appearance as a crime scene cleaner on the show. And as excited as Fillion might’ve been to work with Tudyk again, they were supposed to originally reunite on another hit TV show.

“I didn’t even have to suggest Alan Tudyk. We were dying to get him on Castle when Alexi and I were back on Castle, and it just didn’t work out. So this was us making good on that attempt so many years ago, and finally getting him to come in and do stuff with us on The Rookie. And I think it worked out so well. I’m so happy with his stuff,” Fillion said on Assignment X.

Tudyk’s role in The Rookie also appeared to be a very slight homage to his Firefly character. Tudyk played Hoban Washburne in the sci-fi show, who went by the nickname Wash. In The Rookie, Tudyk’s character was tasked to help Fillion clean and wash a crime scene. Many fans picked up on the wink towards the cult classic sci-fi series.

Nathan Fillion called ‘The Rookie’ the most fun he’s had since ‘Firefly’

Fillion has done many hit shows over the course of his career. Castle might’ve been his most successful at one point. The television series was a ratings hit at its peak, and lasted eight seasons before its unexpected cancellation.

Although Castle lasted much longer than Fillion’s Firefly, Firefly may have had longer legs. The sci-fi show only had two seasons and a movie, but its fanbase continued to grow. So much so that Fillion considered Firefly his first love, and a show he’d do again in a minute with his former cast.

 “We talk about it, we dream about it. I don’t think you could find a cast member, a writer, a director, any of the crew who’d say, ‘No, I’m out,'” Fillion once said according to Huff Post. “People are pretty busy right now, Alan is always working, and obviously Joss is pretty busy. But that would be something that I would do again in a heartbeat. There’s something about Firefly — it was my first love. So if you get a chance to go back to your very first love, you’ll do it, right?”

But Fillion’s passion for Firefly may only be rivaled by his passion for The Rookie. The hit show is still running strong after six seasons, and may produce as many seasons as Castle did. Fillion admitted that he enjoyed himself on Rookie in a way he hasn’t since his Firefly years.

“Firefly has been my favorite job I’ve ever had until The Rookie,” Fillion once said according to Deadline.

Nathan Fillion considered another ‘Firefly’ reboot an impossibility

As open as Fillion would’ve been to doing Firefly again, the actor didn’t see it happening. The more time that passed, the less likely it seemed the show would make its comeback. But he didn’t rule out creator Joss Whedon, who surprised him before.

“That was a project that lived for so short a time and such a long time ago that I would look at that as an impossibility,” Fillion said. “Joss Whedon made a movie of it, something I also considered an impossibility, so I look at that and say ‘where is the hope?’ but knowing Joss Whedon, I try not to underestimate that man.”