The Rookie Season 8 Delayed Until January 2026 on ABC
The Rookie Season 8 Pushed to 2026, Fans Frustrated
ABC has officially announced that The Rookie Season 8 won’t premiere in fall 2025 as many expected. Instead, the show is now scheduled to return in January 2026.
Why Is The Rookie Not Airing in Fall 2025?
ABC made the announcement during its 2025 Upfronts and released the official fall schedule. While hit shows like Abbott Elementary and 9-1-1: Nashville made the list, The Rookie was noticeably missing.
According to ABC, the midseason premiere plan worked well for Season 7, which aired without breaks from January to spring. The network wants to follow the same format in 2026 for both The Rookie and Will Trent, giving viewers a consistent run of episodes.
Fans React: “Not Acceptable!”
The delay hasn’t gone over well with fans. Many took to social media, asking ABC why the show wasn’t included in the fall lineup. One viewer posted, “ABC, why do you dislike The Rookie so much?” Others said pushing it to midseason was “not acceptable” and urged the network to fix the decision.
First Tuesday without The Rookie and I'm imagining scenarios that could happen in season 8, anyway, I'm going crazy.#TheRookie #Chenford pic.twitter.com/g8hF5GRyDl
— lopezzzx(Sergeant Lucy Chen version) (@xlopezzz_) May 20, 2025
What to Expect in Season 8
Although fans have to wait a bit longer, there’s still excitement building for Season 8. Nathan Fillion returns as Officer John Nolan, and fans can expect big developments following the Season 7 finale. Teasers include the return of a recurring villain and major updates to character storylines.
Where to Watch The Rookie in the Meantime
While waiting for Season 8, fans can catch up on all previous episodes on Hulu and Disney+.
