Hudson and Rex Cast: Main Actors, Rex Dogs, Season 7–8 Changes

The cast of Hudson and Rex matters because the show isn’t only about solving crimes. It’s about a steady rhythm, familiar faces, and that quiet bond between a detective and a dog partner who can change the whole mood of a scene without saying a word.

Over the years, the show has kept a strong core team, but there have also been moments that made fans pause, especially around later seasons. Some changes were creative, some were practical, and a few became big talking points online.

This article breaks it all down in plain English, with a focus on the people behind the characters, what makes each role memorable, and what changed as the series moved into newer seasons.

Snippet-ready definition:

Hudson and Rex cast refers to the actors who play the Major Crimes team and the trained German Shepherds who portray Rex, including key changes in later seasons and why they happened.

Mission Statement:

Our Team mission is to make TV and entertainment easy to follow, with clear facts, thoughtful context, and practical answers that respect both the audience and the people behind the scenes.

What “Hudson & Rex” Is About

Hudson & Rex is built on a simple pairing that works. Detective Charlie Hudson is a calm, capable lead. Rex is a German Shepherd with sharp instincts, trained behavior, and that signature screen presence that makes him feel like more than a sidekick.

It’s a police procedural, yes, but the show leans into character comfort. Episodes usually follow a clean structure, while the cast relationships add warmth, humor, and continuity. When a series runs this long, the tone becomes part of its identity, and the cast is a big reason it stays consistent.

If you’re new to it, the quickest way to understand why the cast is such a big deal is to watch any episode where the team steps into a case briefing. The dialogue is simple, the roles are clear, and the chemistry does a lot of the work.

Quick Guide Table

What you want to know	Quick answer	Why it matters
Who plays Charlie Hudson?	John Reardon played Detective Charlie Hudson through most of the early run.	He’s the face of the original lead dynamic.
Why was Hudson missing in Season 7?	Reardon was diagnosed with tonsil cancer during Season 7 production and stepped back while recovering.	Explains the reduced presence without rumors.
Who plays Rex now?	Diesel vom Burgimwald played Rex early on. After Diesel’s passing, Dillon and Dante, plus cousin Dreamer, took over the role from Season 7.	Clarifies why Rex may look slightly different.
Is there a new Hudson in Season 8?	Season 8 centers on Detective Mark Hudson, played by Luke Roberts.	Explains the “new Hudson” confusion.
Where to check episodes by season	Use reliable season and episode lists to match cast to specific episodes.	Helps confirm guest roles fast.

Hudson and Rex Cast (Main Cast and Core Characters)

John Reardon as Detective Charlie Hudson

John Reardon plays Charlie Hudson with a steady, grounded style. He doesn’t overplay the tough-guy angle, and he doesn’t turn every scene into a speech. That’s part of why his performance works in a long-running procedural. You can drop into an episode mid-season and still feel like you know who Hudson is.

What I’ve always liked about his approach is how he shares scenes with Rex. Reardon gives the dog space to “land” moments. He reacts in a way that sells the idea that Rex is a real working partner, not a gimmick. That little bit of restraint is harder than it looks, and it’s one reason the show’s central relationship feels believable.

If you’re looking at the show’s timeline, you’ll also see why “john reardon” and “hudson and rex cast 2021” are common search phrases. The 2021 era sits in the middle of the show’s stride, when the ensemble felt settled and the cases had a comfortable groove.

Mayko Nguyen as Sarah Truong

Mayko Nguyen’s Sarah Truong adds balance to the team. She brings a smart, focused energy, and she often bridges the gap between evidence and intuition. In a show like this, that role can become purely functional, but Nguyen gives Sarah an easy humanity that keeps her from feeling like a walking lab report.

Sarah’s value is also in how she grounds conversations. When the plot gets complicated, she’s usually the character who helps it make sense without slowing everything down. That’s a quiet skill in procedural storytelling, because the audience gets clarity while still feeling the pace move forward.

A practical viewing tip if you’re tracking character arcs is to sample episodes from early seasons and then jump ahead a few seasons. You’ll notice Sarah’s confidence and presence in team scenes grows, even when the show doesn’t stop to announce it.

Kevin Hanchard as Superintendent Joseph Donovan

Kevin Hanchard plays Superintendent Joseph Donovan as a leader who feels real. He’s not only there to scold or deliver exposition. He often acts like the person holding the whole operation together, which is exactly what that job would be in real life.

Donovan’s scenes tend to matter most when the team is under pressure. The best versions of this character type are calm but firm, and Hanchard leans into that. It helps the show maintain a consistent tone, especially when cases get darker or more personal.

If you ever feel a procedural starts to drift, it’s often because the authority figure feels cartoonish. Here, Donovan helps keep things believable, and he gives the cast a strong center.

Justin Kelly as Jesse Mills

Justin Kelly’s Jesse Mills brings a modern, useful energy into the squad. The character often lives in the space where tech work and field work meet, which is a reality for police shows today. Instead of making Jesse a stereotype, the show lets him be a full team member who can hold his own in group scenes.

Jesse also adds a lighter edge when needed. Not sitcom comedy, just a natural kind of ease that breaks tension without turning scenes into jokes. That matters because Hudson & Rex works best when it stays grounded but not heavy.

If you’re revisiting “hudson and rex cast season 1,” you’ll notice the early dynamic feels slightly different. As seasons go on, Jesse becomes part of the show’s steady backbone, not just the person who handles screens and data.

Who Plays Rex? The Real Dogs Behind Rex (Trusted, Fan-Requested Details)

The original Rex and what viewers should know

Rex is a character, but he’s also a working animal performer. That means the “actor” behind Rex is trained, handled, and filmed in a way that supports storytelling. It also means life events and production needs can lead to changes, even if the show tries to keep everything seamless.

In recent coverage, the show’s trainer confirmed that Diesel, a German Shepherd tied to the role, passed away, and newer dogs have been used in the Rex role. That detail matters because it helps explain why Rex may not look identical in every era of the series. It’s not a mystery, and it’s not something viewers imagined. It’s a real-world change handled through production planning. (People.com has covered this directly.)

Why Rex can look different in certain seasons and scenes

Even when a production has a main dog performer, it’s common to work with more than one trained dog. Different dogs can be better at different actions, like sprinting, jumping, holding a position, or reacting calmly in crowded scenes.

So if Rex looks slightly different in a specific shot, it doesn’t automatically mean the show changed Rex entirely in that moment. It can simply mean the production used a different trained dog for that particular action. It’s similar to how stunt doubles work for humans, except the goal is always to keep it natural and consistent.

A small tip when you’re watching is to pay attention to the type of scene. High-action moments and complex physical work are where productions most often rotate performers, whether the performer is human or canine.

Hudson and Rex Cast Change Explained (What Changed and Why It Matters)

What viewers noticed in later seasons

When a show builds a loyal audience, even small shifts stand out. Sometimes it’s screen time. Sometimes it’s a different energy in scenes. Sometimes it’s a noticeable change in who anchors the story.

The “hudson and rex cast change” topic is largely tied to later-season discussions around the lead role and how the show positions its central partnership. People don’t talk about this because they dislike change in general. They talk about it because the lead dynamic is the heart of the series.

A good way to look at this without getting lost in hot takes is to separate two things: the core ensemble, which remained important, and the lead framing of the show, which is where the biggest conversation tends to live.

Hudson and Rex season 7: what stayed the same and what shifted

Hudson and rex season 7 still feels like the same series in many ways. You still have the team, the structure, and the overall tone. The show doesn’t suddenly become something else.

What changes, for many viewers, is the feeling of transition. Storytelling starts preparing the audience for the fact that long-running shows sometimes refresh their setup. This doesn’t always come with dramatic on-screen announcements. Often it’s a gradual shift in focus, pacing, or how the lead is framed in relation to the team.

If you’re rewatching, Season 7 is worth viewing as a bridge. It helps explain why Season 8 conversations got louder, because the groundwork for change is easier to spot in hindsight.

Hudson and Rex cast season 8: what’s different and why people are confused

Hudson and rex cast season 8 is where the discussion becomes more direct. The reason is simple: when a show’s title includes a name, people assume the named person will always be the same character. Any change connected to that idea is going to create confusion.

Part of the confusion also comes from naming and framing choices. When a show introduces a new central detective presence connected to “Hudson,” it can make casual viewers wonder if they missed something, or if the show is doing a full replacement.

The clean way to handle this in your own viewing is to treat Season 8 as a new chapter. The show still lives in the same world, but the lead focus and partnerships may be presented differently than earlier seasons.

Luke Roberts and the Season 8 cast discussion

A common query is “hudson and rex cast luke roberts,” because people want clarity on where he fits in the newer setup. In Season 8 discussions, Luke Roberts is associated with the newer lead direction and the way the show re-centers its main detective story.

If you’re explaining this to someone who hasn’t watched in a while, the simplest phrasing is: the show introduces a new lead presence while keeping the broader world and cast feeling familiar. It’s not unusual for long-running procedurals to do this, especially when they want to keep the series sustainable.

One practical tip is to start Season 8 with an open mind and watch the first two episodes back-to-back. The show often uses those early episodes to teach the audience the new rhythm.

Hudson and Rex Cast by Season (Quick, Practical Reference)

Here’s a clean way to think about it, without turning it into a long list.

• Hudson and rex cast season 1: This is the baseline. You get the clearest view of the original setup, how Charlie Hudson and Rex work together, and how the team dynamic is introduced.
• Hudson and rex cast 2021: This often refers to the period when the show feels firmly established. The main ensemble is familiar, and the storytelling is confident.
• Season 7: Think of it as a bridge season. The show still feels like Hudson & Rex, but viewers often notice subtle shifts that set up later changes.
• Season 8: This is where the lead framing becomes the headline topic. That’s why “hudson and rex cast season 8” keeps popping up as a major question.

If you’re trying to follow changes without overthinking, anchor your comparison on Season 1, then sample a 2021-era season, then jump to Season 7 and Season 8.

Supporting and Recurring Characters (Only the Most Relevant Names Fans Search)

Beyond the core team, Hudson & Rex uses recurring characters to keep its world feeling consistent. These can include law enforcement colleagues, recurring experts tied to evidence work, and repeat guest characters who return for specific story arcs.

Instead of listing dozens of names, here’s a cleaner approach that’s actually useful when you’re trying to remember someone:

• Start with the episode’s opening scene and the briefing room. Recurring characters often appear there.
• Check whether the character appears in multiple episodes across a season. Recurring roles usually show up in clusters.
• If you remember a character’s job, like medical examiner, specialist, or supervisor, that’s often the fastest way to locate them in episode guides.

This matters because in long-running procedurals, people often remember the role more than the name. The show leans into that style, which is why the recurring cast feels familiar even if you can’t place them instantly.

Hudson and Rex Episodes Guide (How to Find Cast Appearances Fast)

How to use episode lists to track cast changes

If you’re trying to confirm when a cast change happened or which episode featured a certain guest actor, episode lists are your best friend. It’s also the easiest way to connect “hudson and rex episodes” questions with the actual season timeline.

A quick method that works without getting messy:

• Pick the season you’re curious about first, not the actor.
• Narrow down to a few episodes based on the plot you remember. Even one detail can help, like a type of case or a location.
• Use the episode list to confirm the credited cast for that specific episode.

This is especially helpful when a character appears briefly, or when a guest actor shows up in more than one episode. It saves time and keeps you from relying on fuzzy memory.

Where to Watch Hudson & Rex (Availability Notes Without Overpromising)

Where you can watch Hudson & Rex depends on your region, and that changes over time. Some countries have it through local broadcast networks, while others rely on streaming or specialty channels.

The most reliable habit is to check official network listings in your area first, then cross-check reputable streaming catalogs. If you’re following a specific season, make sure the platform is carrying that season, since availability can vary season-to-season.

A practical tip is to search by season number on the platform itself, not just the series title. That often shows you exactly what’s available without confusion.

FAQs About Hudson and Rex Cast

Is John Reardon returning to Hudson and Rex in 2025?

As of his public update in September 2025, John Reardon said he had a clean bill of health, but the production chose a different direction and he did not return as the lead.

Is there a new actor playing Hudson in Hudson and Rex?

Yes. Season 8 shifts to Detective Mark Hudson, played by Luke Roberts. This is why people mention “hudson and rex cast luke roberts.”

Why is John Reardon missing from season 7 of Hudson and Rex?

He was diagnosed with tonsil cancer during Season 7 production and stepped away while recovering, which reduced his presence across the season.

What happened to Rex on Hudson and Rex?

Diesel vom Burgimwald, the German Shepherd known for playing Rex, passed away after cancer. The role continued with trained dogs Dillon and Dante, plus cousin Dreamer, starting in Season 7.

Why does Rex look different sometimes?

Even in shows with one main animal performer, productions often use multiple trained dogs for safety and specific actions, which can make small visual differences noticeable.

Conclusion

The reason this cast gets so much attention is simple: Hudson & Rex is a relationship-driven procedural. John Reardon’s calm lead work, the steady ensemble around him, and Rex’s presence as a real partner are what give the show its identity.

If you’re revisiting earlier seasons, start with hudson and rex cast season 1 to feel the original setup again. If you’re trying to understand the current conversation, compare Season 7 and Season 8 side-by-side. You’ll see how the show holds onto its tone, even while it experiments with new framing.

And if one thing feels confusing, don’t overthink it. Track it by season and episode, keep an eye on credits, and let the show speak for itself. That approach stays practical, keeps the viewing experience enjoyable, and gives you a clear picture of how the series has evolved.

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational and editorial purposes. Casting and availability can change by season, region, or network. For the most current credits, always verify using official listings and episode credits.