The Rookie season 8 is officially in the works — but fans are not happy about a surprise update on when it’s supposed to air.
The ABC drama wrapped up airing season 7 in May, and fans have been wondering when they’ll get to see more of the folks working at LAPD Mid-Wilshire. Well, ABC shared an upsetting update during the network’s 2025 upfronts, revealing that The Rookie season 8 will premiere in midseason 2026. And if that wasn’t enough, the network confirmed the news about The Rookie by posting a look at its official fall 2025 lineup on Instagram on May 13.
“The fall you want with the shows you need,” read the caption.
While shows like Abbott Elementary, 9-1-1 and its spinoff 9-1-1: Nashville were all listed as shows airing this fall, The Rookie fans were not thrilled that the show wasn’t on the lineup. As a result, they made sure to voice their frustration about the season 8 release date in the comments.
“ABC why do you hate the rookie so much?” one person lamented. “You still have time to fix this and add the rookie back to the fall schedule,” another agreed. “No it’s not because you’re holding the rookie until mid season again,” a different follower added.
Despite The Rookie season 8 not premiering until next year, TV Line did explain the reason behind the move.
The outlet noted both The Rookie and Will Trent season 4 will air on ABC sometime in the winter of 2026, and each show will have “uninterrupted” 18-episode seasons instead of taking breaks if they aired in the fall. This also repeats a similar pattern both shows had in the winter of 2025, when The Rookie season 7 and Will Trent season 3 had a consistent episode schedule throughout.Even though it’s going to be a bit of a wait, at least we know we’ll get to see our favorite police officers back at work!
