The world cried out for a new crime drama after Shades of Blue [1] aired its finale, and lucky for us, ABC listened. The network's upcoming series The Rookie is based on the true story of John Nolan who, at 40 years old, decides to move from his small town to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Not only is the story totally original, but the cast is also refreshingly diverse. Check out who will be playing LAPD officers and rookies when the series premieres on Oct. 16.

Nathan Fillion

Best known for playing Richard Castle on ABC's Castle, Nathan Fillion will star in the series as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the police department.

Afton Williamson

Most recently appearing in NBC's third season of Shades of Blue as FBI Special Agent Katie Myers, Afton Williamson will costar as Talia Bishop, a training officer assigned to train John Nolan.

Eric Winter

Eric Winter, who is known for his roles of Rex Brady on Days of Our Lives and FBI Special Agent Craig O'Laughlin on CBS's The Mentalist, will appear in the series as Tim Bradford, Talia Bishop's aggressive fellow training officer.

Melissa O'Neil

Best known for playing Two/Portia Lin on the Canadian sci-fi series Dark Matter, Melissa O'Neil will play Lucy Chen, a rookie cop alongside John Nolan who develops a potentially romantic relationship with him.

Richard T. Jones

Richard T. Jones, who played Mike in Tyler Perry [2]'s Why Did I Get Married? and its sequel, is set to play Wade Grey, a sergeant who takes a serious disliking to John Nolan.

Titus Makin

Best known for portraying Clark Wilkins on Pretty Little Liars [3] and Lukas Parnell on the sci-fi series Star-Crossed, Titus Makin will play Jackson West, an overeager rookie who just happens to be the son of a high-level police commander in the department.

Alyssa Diaz

Alyssa Diaz — who has had several recurring TV roles, such as in Army Wives, As the World Turns, and Zoo, as well as a starring role in The Nine Lives of Chloe King — will appear in the series as Angela Lopez, a training officer who aspires to become a detective and who gets assigned to train Jackson West.

Mercedes Mason

Best known for playing Zondra Rizzo in the NBC series Chuck, Mercedes Mason is set to play Zoe Andersen, John Nolan's commanding officer.

Danny Nucci

Danny Nucci, best known for portraying Mike Foster in The Fosters, will play Sanford Motta, an assault crimes detective in the department.