The Rookie was renewed for season 8, but could fans enjoy the ABC show’s sense of humor and smart characters for several more years? Two actors recently gave an interview and shared their thoughts on how long the popular series could air, and fans will be curious to hear what they had to say.
The Rookie premiered on ABC in 2018 and over the past seven seasons, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) has gotten more experience and isn’t a “rookie cop” any longer. However, the title still makes sense as he’s older than his LAPD officer co-workers. Nolan is a unique character with a cheesy sense of humor who sees things from his own perspective, and he’s just one character who fans never tire of watching. Viewers also keep tuning in for Chenford, the name given to Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil), the most popular and compelling couple on the procedural who have been through more than a few highs and lows. Winter recently shared some insight into Chenford, and two other actors also shared their opinions about The Rookie’s future.
Nathan Fillion And Jenna Dewan Shared Their Thoughts About The Future Beyond The Rookie Season 8
In an interview with Extra TV, Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan, who play married couple John Nolan and Bailey Nune, answered a question about how many more seasons The Rookie could get.
Fillion suggested that perhaps the show could reach season 10 and said:
“I remember going around at one point saying, ‘Could you do five seasons? And then we went past five seasons and I was saying, ‘Can we do five more?’”
Dewan added:
“We love each other so much and it’s such a great show… Nathan’s amazing and we joke all the time. We’re like, ‘We would do this for years and years and years.”
Fillion continued, “We’re fond of saying, ‘We would ride it to the ground.'” Given the strong relationship between Nolan and Bailey and all the potential future storylines, including possibly revisiting their wish to adopt, it’s easy to imagine The Rookie airing for at least ten seasons. It has a flawless formula that has proven popular with fans and critics, and it’s always fun watching Nolan and Bailey banter, seeing old favorite characters like the hilarious and naive Skip Tracer Randy (Flua Borg), and catching up with what’s going on in the team’s personal lives.
Earlier in May 2025, Craig Erwich, the President of Disney Television Group, said Grey’s Anatomy, The Rookie, and 9-1-1 shouldn’t be considered “older” series. According to Deadline, he explained, “Those shows continue to recruit new viewers and stay fresh, and they stay current in the storytelling. So this we don’t really consider them older shows. They’re young and spry and vibrant and continue to deliver performance and a lot of joy and entertainment to those viewers.” Based on those comments and as long as The Rookie’s ratings continue to stay high, it’s hard to imagine the show being canceled anytime soon. If fans enjoy watching it every week, the cast members seem to enjoy starring in it too, and they’re always positive about it when giving interviews. Grey’s Anatomy is wrapping up its 21st season on May 15th, 2025, and the 9-1-1 season 8 finale will air the same night.
When The Rookie season 8 premieres in January 2026, fans can expect to see villain Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) again at some point, along with Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), who showed up in a big cliffhanger moment at the end of season 7, episode 18, “The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar.” But the best part of being a fan of The Rookie is never knowing what will happen next, and chances are, there will be some shocking scenes when the show returns, along with some typical funny ones.
