If You Liked The Rookie, You Should Watch Will Trent Next
Why not check out another great show on ABC?
The Rookie is an exceptional procedural that consistently delights audiences with its well-balanced mix of cop drama, action and comedy. Although the ABC series has received so-so reviews from critics, it has been very popular with viewers, leading to a renewal for a seventh season in April, 2024. And so we face another agonizing hiatus, as The Rookie Season 7 is not scheduled for release until 2025.
That will give us enough time to revisit all the episodes that have been released so far, but unfortunately there will still be many months before the follow-up is released. With that in mind, let’s take a look at another excellent procedural drama that also airs on ABC, Will Trent.
We’ll talk about the similarities between the two shows, as well as suggest alternative viewing options to keep you occupied while you wait for The Rookie Season 7.
Why You Should Check out Will Trent
The series follows a Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent, played by Ramón Rodríguez, who is an incredibly observant and meticulous detective who solves even the coldest cases.
And of course, what’s a procedural without its fair share of drama: Not only is Will Trent still dealing with the effects of Atlanta’s foster care system, but he’s also in a very tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Atlanta PD homicide detective Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen), with whom they find solace in each other while avoiding their traumas.Aside from the fact that Will Trent, like The Rookie, also airs on ABC and Hulu, there are far more similarities between the two shows than you might think. First, of course, is the heavy emphasis on character-driven storylines: despite the fact that each show functions as an anthology of sorts, with each episode devoted to a specific incident, the writers of both projects deliver nuanced and compelling character arcs.
Every character, no matter how minor, has a well-developed backstory that touches on the case of each episode in one way or another, and the dramatic and serious moments are tempered by the writers’ good sense of humor. Also, Ramón Rodríguez, like Nathan Fillion, gives a fantastic performance, literally bringing his character to life!
Other Shows The Rookie Will Remind You Of
Will Trent is a a fairly new show that currently only has two seasons. Season 3 won’t premiere until January 2025, so after you’ve watched the available 23 episodes of Will Trent, we suggest you consider checking out some other equally exciting shows that will remind you of The Rookie. You can see a list of those shows below:
Castle (Hulu)
9-1-1 (ABC, Hulu)
9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox, Hulu)
S.W.A.T. (CBS, Netflix, Hulu)
Rookie Blue (ViX)
Flashpoint (Paramount+, Prime Video)
Psych (Prime Video)
Reacher (Prime Video)
Tracker (CBS, Paramont+)
Another ABC series, 9-1-1, focuses not on the police but on the LAFD, but it will certainly remind you of The Rookie, both in terms of setting and the drama that goes on in the lives of first responders.
And Psych, for example, will remind you of both The Rookie and Will Trent at the same time, as the plot of this procedural dramedy follows an extraordinary freelance consultant to the Santa Barbara Police Department, and each episode highlights the unusual cases the police have to deal with on a daily basis.
By the way, we recommend checking out the hit Amazon show Reacher, as the authors of the original book series, Lee Child and Karin Slaughter, introduced an intriguing crossover short story titled Cleaning the Gold in 2019.
In the meantime, we continue to look forward to new seasons of The Rookie and Will Trent, each tentatively slated to premiere sometime in 2025 on ABC and Hulu.
