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ABC's The Rookie finally concluded its season 7 with an explosive finale, in which not one but two dangerous villains returned to create more problems for Nolan and his team.
The shocking cliffhanger of Oscar's escape (again) and Monica's return were exciting and will likely continue in season 8, as the show was already renewed for another season.
While the show's future looks bright, ABC's Fall schedule will likely disappoint the police procedural's fans.
As many fans anticipated The Rookie Season 8 will likely return in September 2025, a recent announcement from the network revealed that it will not. Instead, it will be a part of their midseason premieres and will return in January 2026.
More on The Rookie in our story.
The Rookie Season 8 will premiere in January 2026
With ABC renewing The Rookie for another season, fans of the police procedural were over the moon and counting down the days until Season 8. With Season 7 finally wrapping with an explosive finale on May 13, 2025, fans were awaiting the release date of the next chapter.
While many fans were hoping they would get Season 8 as part of ABC's 2025 Fall schedule, that is not the case. According to a recent report by Deadline, the network has decided to hold back on the show's Season 8, and it will instead premiere in ABC's midseason premiere, along with Will Trent Season 4.
This means Season 8 will likely debut in January 2026, instead of September 2025, as Disney Television President Craig Erwich told Deadline:
“Rookie and Will Trent is a repeat of the extraordinarily successful schedule we had last season.''
He added:
''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 this decision means that viewers will have to wait a little longer till they see season 8, it might benefit the show moving forward, as Erwich and the network have anticipated.
In recent years, ABC seems to rule television with its usual weekly slots with shows like 9-1-1, Grey's Anatomy and High Potential. With Thursday nights dedicated to the former two shows, High Potential emerged as a breakout comedy, making The Rookie and Will Trent's Tuesday nights even more successful for the network.
As Erwich further expanded on this decision:
''Television, in many ways, is still about nights. People ask, What am I going to watch tonight? And ABC has had so many signature nights of television...Tuesday night has become really a must-see destination night of television for our viewers.”
The network seems to have found stability in programming season 7 with its January 2025 premiere, and its decision to continue with its midseason premiere makes sense. While fans would have to wait a little longer than usual, good numbers will only secure the show's future further.
The Rookie Season 7 finale is now streaming on Hulu.
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Also Read: The Rookie spin-off gets major update from showrunner
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