The Rookie: What Happened To Armstrong & What Is His Actor Doing Now?

Five seasons deep into its run, the cast of "The Rookie" is looking quite a bit different compared to how early fans may remember it. Several characters have come and gone throughout the Los Angeles Police Department, with some having more bombastic exits than others. Case in point: Harold Perrineau's Nick Armstrong, a detective who joins the force in Season 2. Following the end of the Season 3 premiere, Armstrong is never seen or heard from again on the series, so what exactly happens to the character in his final arc?

Armstrong's sendoff story in "The Rookie," which mostly plays out over the course of the Season 2 finale and the Season 3 premiere, is just about as dramatic as they come. Despite his assistance to the main cast over the course of his debut season, it's ultimately revealed that Armstrong is a corrupt cop with gang connections. Things only get more wild from there, as Armstrong attempts to frame Nathan Fillion's John Nolan for his crimes, leading to the two having a final standoff. In the end, only one walks away alive, as Armstrong is betrayed by the gang, shot, and killed.

Harold Perrineau has actually been quite busy since Detective Armstrong took his last bow on "The Rookie" in 2021. For one thing, he finished out his time as major character Dean Simms on TNT's dark comedy "Claws," which aired its final episode in 2022. He also reprised his role as Murch from the classic comedy film "The Best Man" for the 2022 Peacock miniseries "The Best Man: The Final Chapters." Suffice to say, Perrineau has been involved with a lot of major endings as of late.

Along with those roles, Perrineau has also spent the past few years starring in a couple of experimental movies. In 2022, he joined the cast of Cory Cataldo's sci-fi romance flick "Without Ward," which sees recovering users of a euphoric drug rediscovering themselves during a period of house arrest. In 2023, the actor jumped onto the voice cast for Matty Kiel's animated fantasy project "Unicorn Boy," which sees a struggling artist fall into a fantasy world in desperate need of saving.

However, arguably Perrineau's most notable post-"The Rookie" credit to date is his starring role on the MGM+ sci-fi horror series "FROM." The show focuses on the mystery of a supernatural town somewhere in the Midwest that entraps anyone who becomes a resident. Harold Perrineau's Sheriff Boyd Stevens leads the trapped members of the town as they attempt to survive the harrowing conditions.