The Rookie Becomes a Worldwide Streaming Sensation After Season 7 Success

Netflix subscribers cannot get enough of The Rookie. Despite not being available in the States, the ABC drama series has nevertheless managed to find itself on the streamer’s “Top 10 This Week” list in several countries.Per FlixPatrol, The Rookie has an average global ranking of 4.5, meaning that the ABC series is cracking the Top 5 in the majority of the countries that have access to the program through Netflix. Created by Alexi Hawley, The Rookie premiered in October 2018 on ABC, following Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan, a 45-year-old from Pennsylvania, as he moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. After graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, Nolan navigates the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job.

The Rookie is just the latest fan-favorite series that Fillion has found himself a part of over the years. After getting his start on the popular soap opera One Life to Live, Fillion joined the cast of the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl in its second season, remaining with the show until it was canceled in 2001. He then headlined the short-lived space Western series Firefly, which became a cult classic following its cancellation, leading to a feature-length continuation in 2005 titled Serenity.

Following a recurring role in Desperate Housewives, Fillion landed the role he is perhaps best known for, that of author Richard Castle in the crime mystery series Castle. The popular show was an instant hit for ABC, leading to eight seasons and 173 episodes being released between 2009 and 2016. Despite hopes for a ninth season, ABC chose to end Castle, freeing Fillion to join The Rookie two years later as both its lead star and as an executive producer. Starring alongside Fillion as series regulars on The Rookie are Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and Lisseth Chavez.

The Rookie Renewed for Season 8

In April 2025, The Rookie was renewed for an eighth season on ABC. The following month, during ABC’s upfronts presentation, the network revealed that The Rookie would once again be held for midseason, meaning that fans can look forward to another largely uninterrupted season, where a new episode is released weekly without any major hiatuses.

“Rookie and Will Trent is a repeat of the extraordinarily successful schedule we had last season,” explained Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich on holding back the two popular dramas until early 2026. “Will Trent was one of the only broadcast shows that actually grew year over year. I think one of the reasons for that was, when we start in January, we’re able to run all of the episodes straight through, and it creates this kind of momentum.”