Over The Rookie’s 100-episode run, the ABC procedural has seen its fair share of guest stars, some of which have marked Castle reunions for Nathan Fillion. Though perhaps one of the more memorable guests has to be former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The funnyman notably played the brother of Fillion's John Nolan, Pete, in three episodes. While Fillion and Davidson seem to be good buddies off camera, the former was actually "embarrassed and ashamed" upon meeting his on-screen sibling for the first time.
Pete Davidson made his first appearance on The Rookie during Season 2 and later appeared in two episodes of Season 4. It’s now hard to imagine Pete Nolan being played by anyone other than Davidson, and it’s always quite the sight to see his dynamic with Nathan Fillion. Of course, the two first met while working on Warner Bros.' The Suicide Squad. Fillion recalled to The Hollywood Reporter that he had some preconceived notions about the comic ahead of their first encounter, though that ultimately led to some embarrassment for him once they actually crossed paths:
One of the people I had the most fun with is Pete Davidson, whom I met on The Suicide Squad. When I first met him, I thought, 'He and I are probably not going to be best pals.' And within four minutes, I was embarrassed and ashamed because I’d judged a book by its cover. He’s an incredibly kind man. Within two or three days, I invited him to do an episode, and he graciously accepted. He’s wildly talented and always brings a flavor to the character that’s realistic. It’s been a pleasure seeing what this unlikely friend of mine can do with being an unlikely half-brother and friend to my character.
The Suicide Squad was actually the reason for Pete Davidson joining The Rookie. So, had Nathan Fillion and Davidson not gotten along, the latter likely wouldn’t have guest starred. Considering the public persona that the King of Staten Island star has, it's not too surprising that Fillion had ideas of what he might be like. However, it seems like they hit it off once they really got to know each other, and I'm glad Fillion was proven wrong (even if he was a bit "ashamed" in the process). Furthermore, Davidson definitely brings a lot to Pete Nolan, and hilarity always ensues when he rolls into town.
It's been a while since the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star was last on the show, as he last appeared in the Season 4 finale. One would have likely hoped that he’d appear in the extravagant 100th episode for John and Bailey’s wedding but, alas, that didn’t happen. It was explained that Skip Tracer Randy had to turn him in for the ungodly amount of unpaid parking tickets Pete had, and he couldn’t make it to the wedding. Hopefully, the wayward Nolan sibling returns soon, because I'm missing him.
Though Pete Davidson has been busy as of late, so it’s not surprising he wasn’t able to return for the milestone installment. The comedian has four upcoming projects on top of his Peacock series, Bupkis, which was renewed for a second season. He is also busy on his tour, which is definitely taking up a lot of his time. Since Season 6 is shortened due to the strikes, it’s likely Davidson won’t be able to return for it, but the door is certainly open for his return down the road, though. For now though, let's all just take a lesson from Nathan Fillion when it comes to not judging books by covers. It's never good and, in this case, we could've lost out on some great performance from Davidson.
Hulu subscribers can watch all three of the comedian's episodes of The Rookie. And new episodes of the series air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2024 TV schedule.
