ABC Drops a Bombshell About The Rookie Season 8 Premiere — Fans Are Fuming!

While it’s exciting that John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and his clever and likable team are coming back for The Rookie season 8, the ABC procedural just got a big update that will be a little frustrating for fans to hear.

The Rookie season 7 finale is about to air, and given the thrilling and surprising ride of the past 17 episodes, it’s going to be an hour to remember. The optimistic and fun drama premiered in 2018, and Castle and Firefly fans were glad to see Fillion cast in another long-running TV drama. The Rookie season 7 kicked off with episode 1, “The Shot,” on January 7th, 2025, as two rookie cops were hired at the Los Angeles Police Department. The Rookie‘s popularity led to a spinoff, The Rookie: Feds, which aired for one season in 2022 and 2023 before being canceled. Showrunner Alexi Hawley recently said he’d still be happy to make another spinoff, but as for now, that’s not officially in the works. So, while fans prepare to be entertained and shocked by the finale, they’re going to want to hear the latest news about the show.

The Rookie Season 8 Will Premiere As Part Of ABC’s Midseason Schedule

Deadline reported that The Rookie season 8 will premiere in January 2026, and it will be part of ABC’s midseason schedule. This is disappointing news for fans who hoped that the new season would be part of the fall broadcast schedule and that the season 8 premiere would air in September 2025. Will Trent season 4 will also air midseason.

Disney Television President Craig Erwich explained that this choice was made because The Rookie‘s season 7 midseason premiere worked out well so for ABC. Erwich said:

“Rookie and Will Trent is a repeat of the extraordinarily successful schedule we had last season. 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.”

While it’s tough to wait until January 2026 to see what happens next to Nolan and his team, the current season has been so well-done that fans will be counting down the days. There was rarely a dull moment, from Seth Ridley’s (Patrick Keheler) return to the hilarious and goofy Skip Tracer Randy (Flua Borg) coming back for an excellent episode.

Erwich also noted that The Rookie and Will Trent will air Tuesday evenings once again. Reruns of the crime series High Potential will also air on Tuesdays. Kaitlin Olsen stars on the series as a mom named Morgan whose photographic memory earns her a consulting gig with the Los Angeles Police Department. Like Nolan on The Rookie, Morgan is an instantly likable character who sees things that others don’t. Erwich said Tuesdays will be “a powerhouse night” with all three shows and added:

“Tuesday night has become really a must-see destination night of television for our viewers.”

The Rookie season 7 finale is airing on Tuesday, May 13th, 2025, which means fans will wait seven months until the season 8 premiere. Episode 18, “The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar,” will see the return of unforgettable and unique villain Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave), and it’s easy to imagine there will be a big, shocking reveal in the final moments.

The Rookie also stars Melissa O’Neil as wise and compassionate Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Lucy’s long-time gruff love interest Tim Bradford, and Deric Augustine as recent rookie cop Miles Penn. Other clever and compassionate characters include Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, and Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez.