The Rookie is coming back next season. ABC has renewed its hit drama series starring Nathan Fillion for an eighth season.
Per TVLine, The Rookie was one of the five scripted series that ABC confirmed would be returning next season. The other four were 9-1-1 (for Season 9), Grey’s Anatomy (Season 22), Shifting Gears (Season 2), and Will Trent (season 4). They will be part of ABC’s 2025-26 primetime schedule alongside previously renewed fan favorites Abbott Elementary (Season 5) and High Potential (Season 2) and the upcoming spinoff 9-1-1: Nashville starring NCIS: Los Angeles alum Chris O’Donnell. This leaves just one ABC scripted series on the bubble, Doctor Odyssey. TVLine notes that the network remains “engaged in creative conversations about a potential Season 2” for the Ryan Murphy-created drama.
Created by Alexi Hawley, The Rookie stars Fillion as John Nolan, following the 45-year-old from Pennsylvania as he moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. After graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, Nolan navigates the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job. Joining Fillion as series regulars on The Rookie are Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and Lisseth Chavez.
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The Season 8 renewal comes ahead of The Rookie’s Season 7 finale later this spring. Ashmore recently teased what fans can expect from the upcoming season finale, promising that the final episodes are “pretty exciting.” He explained, “I remember shooting that last scene being like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be a good one.’ There’s a lot to look forward to.”
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The Rookie has been a solid ratings performer for ABC since its debut on the network seven years ago. In fact, the drama series’ latest episode was its most viewed episode in two years, attracting an audience of 8.25 million. The episode also received a 1.67 rating in the 18-49 demographic, the highest it has reached since the end of The Rookie’s second season in 2020.
Given The Rookie’s continued success, it’s no surprise that ABC is once again looking at expanding the franchise. In December 2024, it was reported that Lionsgate Television and 20th Television are in early development on a new spinoff series that will be set in Washington state and focus on a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act. Hawley is writing the spinoff and will also executive produce alongside The Rookie star Nathan Fillion. This would be ABC’s second crack at a Rookie spinoff after The Rookie: Feds, which aired a single season back in 2022-23.
