The seventh season has just finished airing in the US.
While the seventh season of The Rookie has yet to even start airing in the UK yet, it has already finished its run on ABC in the US.
Naturally, fans will be wondering whether season 8 is in the works, and where the series could go from here.
After all, last year Tim Bradford star Eric Winter told RadioTimes.com that he would like to see more spin-offs developed, after the first, The Rookie: Feds, was cancelled after just one season.
He said: “I think there’s a possibility for more, for sure. Feds kind of had its own flow that was a little different than the original Rookie, and I think that if there’s another spin-off, it’ll probably lean in more to that cadence and flow that we have on our show.
“It’d be fun to see what they have in store, if they actually spin-off a character from the original or if they just bring somebody brand new. I don’t know, but I think another spin-off could be a lot of fun, and I hope it does happen to build the universe.”
But is the main show coming back for another run of episodes? Read on for everything you need to know about The Rookie season 8.
Will there be a The Rookie season 8?
There will! The series was renewed in April 2025, ahead of season 7 coming to an end in May.
Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, explained why The Rookie, along with other long-running shows such as 911 and Grey’s Anatomy, were so ripe for renewal, despite having been around for so long.
He told Deadline: “Those may be quote-unquote ‘older shows’ in terms of how many seasons, but what we’re seeing is new generations of fans coming in and discovering these shows.
“We have at Disney a very unique ecosystem where we have multiple platforms, but we’re able to create singular events. We’re better at it than anybody.”
He continued: “Those shows continue to recruit new viewers and stay fresh, and they stay current in the storytelling. So this is why we don’t really consider them older shows. They’re young and spry and vibrant and continue to deliver performance and a lot of joy and entertainment to those viewers.”
When will The Rookie season 8 be released?
We don’t know exactly when The Rookie season 8 will debut in the US yet. A number of the previous seasons debuted in autumn, in either September or October, but the two most recent runs started early in the year – in February and January respectively.
We imagine that it is likely the show will now stick to this release formula, and season 8 will air on ABC in early 2026 – we will keep this page updated as we get any news.
Meanwhile, when it comes to a UK release date on Sky Witness and NOW, season 6 arrived in June 2024, after it finished airing in the US, and season 7 is expected to arrive around the same time this year.
Therefore, we would expect season 8 will follow the same pattern, and start airing around June 2026.
Who will return to star in The Rookie season 8?
While the cast hasn’t yet been confirmed for The Rookie season 8, we are expecting all the central stars to be back, including Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz and Richard T Jones.
We are also certainly expecting Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter to be back as Lucy and Tim, whose relationship almost took a step forward in the season finale, with the latter asking the former to move in. However, Lucy fell asleep before she could hear the question.
Creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley recently spoke about the moment with TVLine, saying that the conversation which they were stopped from having “should be had, ultimately”.
“I think the audiences expect that and wants that,” he said. “Much as it made me laugh to have her fall asleep, they’re going to want that conversation. But yes, we’re almost there, let’s say that.”
Meanwhile, one supporting actor that we’re expecting to return is Bridget Regan as Monica Stevens, after her character secured her own immunity via nefarious means at the end of the finale.
Speaking about the role she might play in season 8, Hawley told Deadline: “I think Monica is always a bit of a gadfly. I think the immunity deal was her 11-and-a-half hour, pulling it out of the fire, so to speak, and getting leverage on the government.
“But I think what we’ll find in season 8 is that there’s other stories to tell with her. There is other facets to that immunity deal, which could play out in season 8, and then also, what does the next chapter look like for her and us? Because she’s not getting her law licence back, so what? That’s stuff we’re investigating in the room in the coming weeks, what is the fallout?”
Here’s a full list of the main actors and characters in The Rookie season 7, who we are expecting to see back in season 8:
- Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
- Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
- Richard T Jones as Wade Grey
- Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen
- Eric Winter as Tim Bradford
- Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
- Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers
- Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune
- Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez
Is there a trailer for The Rookie season 8?
There isn’t a trailer available for The Rookie season 8 just yet, but we will make sure to add one in once it is released. For now, you can rewatch the trailer for the season 7 finale here.
