From cast reactions to plotlines, here’s everything we know so far about the season 8 of the ABC police drama
The Rookie is still on duty.
The ABC police procedural — which aired its season 7 finale on May 13 — first premiered in 2018 but remains popular years later. In February, the series had its best three-week audience in nearly five years, per ABC. That same month, The Rookie “scored a new all-time high for episode views” on Hulu.
Even after seven seasons, playing Los Angeles cop John Nolan remains fun for Nathan Fillion.
“What’s great is that, though he’s seven seasons into this new job, the job itself is not a static job. You don’t go in to do the same thing every day,” he told TV Guide in March 2025. “Every time a call comes in, it could be something goofy and hilarious, [or] it could be something life altering and dangerous.”
He continued, “So you never know what’s going to happen next, and every single situation is a learning situation.”
What’s ahead might be a surprise for Nolan, but what about the future of The Rookie itself? Here’s everything we know so far about season 8 of The Rookie.
Will there be a season 8 of The Rookie?
Yes, The Rookie has been renewed for season 8, The Hollywood Reporter reported in May.
The Rookie was one of the seven scripted shows ABC announced would return for the 2025-2026 schedule. The other series include 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, High Potential, Grey’s Anatomy, Shifting Gears and Will Trent.
A 9-1-1, spinoff, 9-1-1: Nashville, was also given a straight-to-series order.
Which cast members are returning for The Rookie season 8?
No official cast announcement has been made for The Rookie season 8. That said, Fillion has appeared in all 144 episodes and serves as an executive producer, so it’s likely he will sign on again.
Other actors in The Rookie season 7 ensemble include Eric Winter, Melissa O’Neil, Richard T. Jones, Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan and Lisseth Chavez.
After the season 8 renewal announcement, Fillion posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, shouting-out creator Alexi Hawley.
“I’ve been around long enough to know how truly challenging and rare it is to have a long running show,” he wrote. “Thank you all for sticking around for these 7 seasons. It’s because of you that we are announcing season 8!! Congratulations to @alexihawley and the wonderful team that puts this show together. I am so very proud to work alongside all of you. Let’s do this!”
Cox also shared the renewal news on her Instagram with the message, “Guess who’s comin back for a Season 8!!!!!”
When will The Rookie season 8 be released?
A premiere date for The Rookie season 8 has not been revealed. Still, season 7 premiered midseason in January 2025 and it looks like the upcoming set of episodes might follow the same schedule.
“Rookie and Will Trent is a repeat of the extraordinarily successful schedule we had last season,” said Craig Erwich, president of the Disney Television Group, said in May, per Deadline. “When we start in January, we’re able to run all of the episodes straight through, and it creates this kind of momentum.”
In the same announcement, Erwich indicated that The Rookie and Will Trent would be returning to their current Tuesday night slot, explaining that it “has become really a must-see destination night of television for our viewers.”
When The Rookie comes back, it will be for an uninterrupted 18-episode run, per TVLine.
What will happen in The Rookie season 8?
In a May 2025 interview with Collider, Hawley revealed that the writers were already working on season 8.
In the penultimate episode of season 7, L.A. Assistant District Attorney Sean Del Monte (Michael Trucco) stepped down from the D.A. race, a plot that Hawley revealed will most likely continue next season.
“I’m a little allergic to politics, just as storytelling, because I don’t find it that interesting on narrative TV,” Hawley told Deadline in May 2025. “But I think we found a way in to keep that storyline going in Season 8. It’s early days but that’s not the end of that storytelling.”
In the same episode, Pete Nolan — the character played by Pete Davidson in seasons 2 and 4 — was mentioned. While Davidson wasn’t seen, he could return in season 8.
“Pete Davidson is someone we’re desperate to get back, and he loves doing the show,” Hawley said to the outlet. “Hopefully in Season 8 we can get Pete back, that would be great.”
One plot that has apparently come to an end is Nolan (Fillion) and Bailey Nune’s (Dewan) trying to adopt. The couple’s application was denied due to the danger of their line of work, and when ScreenRant asked Hawley if the storyline had come to a close, he responded, “I think it has.”
“[It’s] the reality of their unique situation. But I think they’ve come through it and, for now at least, have made their peace with [the fact] that it’s just the two of them,” he explained.
Where can I watch The Rookie?
All seven seasons of The Rookie are now streaming on Hulu.
