With still months to go before The Rookie season 8 premieres, fans can pass the time by watching a six-season show with a similar plot. The ABC police procedural TV series is in the midst of a lengthy hiatus. Unfortunately, following The Rookie season 7 finale (which contained a couple of cliffhangers), the break between seasons has been rather restless.
The Rookie won’t return with season 8 in fall 2025. As such, there is plenty of time to check out other shows, especially those that can fill the void left by Nathan Fillion’s series. Fans have a plethora of police procedurals to choose from, but their best option is one that ended a decade ago and has six seasons under its belt.
Rookie Blue Is The Perfect Replacement For The Rookie
Rookie Blue Premiered In 2010
As one can infer by its name, Rookie Blue is the best replacement for The Rookie. The Canadian police procedural series (which aired on Global in Canada and on ABC in the United States) debuted in June 2010, serving as one of the network’s summer shows. Rookie Blue ran for six seasons and 74 episodes before ending in July 2015.
Instead of airing between the fall and spring months, Rookie Blue helped ABC fill out its schedule while its other TV series were on hiatus. One could say that it was the ultimate replacement show. And it could be that for fans of The Rookie who are anxiously waiting for season 8 to premiere in early 2026 (likely in January).
Rookie Blue begins with a set of rookies’ first day as police officers, just like in The Rookie pilot. However, instead of taking place in LA, the older cop show is set in Toronto. Over the course of Rookie Blue, the characters struggle to prove themselves at work while also dealing with problems in their personal lives. The two often overlap, though.
Rookie Blue Deserves Much More Praise
The Canadian Police Procedural Is Underrated
Despite lasting for six seasons and almost 75 episodes, Rookie Blue doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The fact that it was a summer TV show certainly hurt its popularity. Nevertheless, the crime drama deserves much more praise. Rookie Blue is intense, intriguing, and features a set of dynamic characters who viewers sometimes hate to love and love to hate.
Rookie Blue isn’t perfect, of course. It certainly has its flaws, and it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For example, it can be overly dramatic at times (bordering on soap opera territory), which may turn some people away. However, for those who have always wanted The Rookie to be more like Grey’s Anatomy, Rookie Blue is the ideal TV show.
Since Rookie Blue has many episodes to get through, it’s the perfect TV series to help fans of The Rookie bide their time in between seasons 7 and 8.
Outside of the fact that Rookie Blue is a police procedural focusing on rookie cops, it has much in common with The Rookie. Perhaps there are a few more office romances and hookups, but the Canadian TV series’ central relationship is quite similar to Tim and Lucy in The Rookie. So, Chenford fans can have another couple to root for.
Rookie Blue might take itself more seriously than The Rookie. Still, if you are a fan of one show, you will likely be drawn to the other. Since Rookie Blue has many episodes to get through, it’s the perfect TV series to help fans of The Rookie bide their time in between seasons 7 and 8.
Where The Rookie Has Gone Wrong In Recent Seasons
Rookie Blue can also help those who loved The Rookie at the start but are getting tired of it as of late. Sadly, they certainly wouldn’t be alone in this line of thinking. The ABC crime drama has been on a slow decline since season 6, and based on the ending of The Rookie season 7, it’s not getting better anytime soon.
Season 5 of The Rookie was one of its better seasons. Afterward, though, seasons 6 and 7 have been rather disappointing. Yes, season 6 was affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, resulting in a rushed 10-episode outing with an overstuffed, convoluted finale. Then, season 7 failed to make up for its predecessor’s mistakes.
The Rookie returns with season 8 in early 2026, consisting of 18 episodes that will reportedly air weekly with little to no breaks. The only exceptions would be “presidential addresses or other unavoidable preemptions,” according to TVLine.
The Rookie season 7’s first half contained a handful of good episodes. In fact, The Rookie season 7, episode 8 was one of the show’s best. However, following the midseason finale, the police procedural struggled to get back on track. Tim and Lucy’s story was mishandled, as were the villains’ arcs, and the season ended on a predictable, dull note.
The hope is that The Rookie season 8 can right the ship. The writers and producers have time to rediscover what makes the ABC series great, after all. Until then, though, fans of The Rookie can watch Rookie Blue to either help pass the time or to discover a similar, intriguing TV show.
