Before streamers dominated the television landscape, the scheduling of network shows was extremely simple. Viewers could enjoy their favorite series from September through May or June, when the season finales would air. There were just a few short months of summer reruns to keep them occupied. Then, when fall rolled around, everyone could always depend on those shows premiering once again. There were no lengthy breaks to forget about plotlines or exciting cliffhangers, and it wasn’t necessary for networks to drum up a lot of interest because the shows had just had their season finales a few months prior. This predictable schedule made it easy for everyone to keep track of when their favorite shows were returning to their screens. There was no guesswork or confusion involved. Unfortunately, several shows, like ABC’s The Rookie, are deciding to include major hiatuses between seasons, which is going to make many fans frustrated.
The Season 7 finale of The Rookie, which aired in May, ends with a major cliffhanger. Mega-villain Monica Stevenson (Bridget Regan) is now a free woman who is very likely going to be wreaking havoc on the Mid-Wilshire Police Department. We also see some forward movement in the Chenford romance (though not enough). The finale is action-packed (as always), which has us eagerly anticipating the Season 8 premiere. Unfortunately, it was announced that The Rookie wouldn’t be returning until midseason, which means we won’t see our favorite cops back on our screens until at least January 2026.
There are so many questions we need answered when the show returns: Is Wesley (Shawn Ashmore) going to run for District Attorney? Can the gang finally take down Monica for good? Will Miles (Deric Augustine) make it out of rookie status? Having to wait until next year to watch new episodes of The Rookie is extremely disappointing, but it does speak to a new trend in network programming where we see shows instituting more lengthy breaks in between seasons.
‘The Rookie’ Isn’t the Only Network Show Taking a Longer Hiatus
Some network shows will premiere in the fall, providing viewers with a normal wait time in between seasons. ABC’s High Potential, NBC’s Brilliant Minds, and FOX’s Doc will all return in September. More shows are on deck for October, which extends the break a tiny bit more. But fans can tune back into ABC’s Abbott Elementary and 9-1-1 and CBS’ full Thursday line-up of Ghosts, Matlock, and Elsbeth before Halloween arrives. However, even though there are shows to tie us over, there are still several other series that won’t return until next year. The Rookie, new episodes of ABC’s Will Trent and NBC’s The Hunting Party won’t be available until 2026.
There are a lot of reasons why it’s necessary for some series to have a longer break in between seasons. Some shows require longer post-production schedules or the actual filming takes a longer period of time. For example, Nathan Fillion noted in an interview that because The Rookie is so popular with fans, they have a harder time shooting on the streets of Los Angeles. He said, “It’s an extra challenge that people driving by in a car will scream, ‘We love The Rookie,’ and [then we have to] cut, go back to the beginning.” But a longer hiatus can mean a whole lot more frustration for fans who simply want to see what their favorite characters are getting up to. There’s also a greater chance that viewers will have forgotten about storylines that are continuing between seasons, and there’s always a risk that longer breaks will result in fewer people tuning back into a new season many months later.
Streaming Shows Like ‘The Last of Us’ Are Also Making Us Wait Between Seasons
It’s not like network shows are the only ones that are putting us through this frustrating process. Streamers are actually way bigger offenders when it comes to lengthy breaks in between seasons. Apple TV+’s Severance made fans wait nearly three years between Season 1 and Season 2. HBO’s The Last of Us just finished up its second season in May, but then made the disappointing announcement that Season 3 won’t be arriving until 2027! It’s possible that these shows won’t be able to keep their ratings up because of these long breaks. Severance was able to create enough social media buzz with unique marketing strategies and inspired a word-of-mouth following to keep people engaged before Season 2 premiered. However, not every show invokes this kind of devoted fandom. Some viewers may simply stop watching if they’ve lost interest by the time a new season airs.
Having to wait many months (and sometimes years) between seasons creates a lot of uncertainty around television watching, and it takes some of the fun and excitement out of viewing if you have to wait a super long time to dive back into a show again. While streamers often require these breaks because of high production values and aspects like special effects, network shows are more likely to delay their returns because of scheduling conflicts. Each network has to strike the perfect balance for every night of programming, and executives are often trying to weigh other elements, like what shows they’ll be up against on other networks, sports programming, and what shows work best together in a specific line-up. These are not things that streamers have to worry about necessarily, which does make scheduling for network programming even more complicated. The last thing networks want is viewers to stop watching because they’re annoyed or have simply lost interest, and networks will need to figure out a way around this obstacle if they want people to keep tuning in.
Viewers don’t think about all of these moving parts when they go to watch television. They just want to watch their favorite shows in a timely manner. It’s not clear whether longer hiatuses will continue going forward, but it’s definitely a problematic trend that is occurring right now. The Rookie certainly has some dedicated fans that will tune back in (no matter how long the wait is), but if all network series start to fall into the camp of having longer breaks, this could spell out a worrisome pattern that is going to make many viewers increasingly unhappy.
