The series was renewed for an eighth season back in April 2025 and it has already spawned two spin-offs.
The series is back with season 8(Image: Disney via Getty Images)
Fans of police procedural dramas like Death in Paradise and the NCIS universe are in for a treat as the new season of a long-running cop drama is not far away. The series stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Other characters who have been part of the series since its debut are Angela Lopez (played by Alyssa Diaz) and Wade Grey (Richard T Jones).
Actor Fillion has previously opened up about the series being inspired by a true story, as the LAPD is one of just two agencies that accepts new officers over the age of 37. The series in question, The Rookie, was inspired by William Norcross, a college friend of executive producer Jon Steinberg’s. Norcross continues to serve in the LAPD and also acts as an executive producer on The Rookie.
Season eight is due to premiere in the US on ABC on January 6, with episodes continuing to air weekly thereafter. The titles of the first three episodes have been unveiled, including Czech Mate, Fast Andy and The Red Place. For fans in the UK, an official release date is yet to be announced but judging by previous seasons, it is likely to be in the summer, with season seven airing in June 2025 on Sky Witness and NOW.
READ MORE: Isiah Whitlock Jr’s most loved roles as The Wire star dies at 71READ MORE: 10 best TV shows of 2025 to binge watch this January from Wayward to SeveranceThe series is hailed one of the better cop dramas(Image: Disney)
Fans of the show took to IMDb reviews to share their thoughts, with Carlekennedy hailing it “one of the better TV series”. Anthropoverty called it “exceptional”, adding: “I love everything about The Rookie… the storylines, the acting, the directing, the way it is shot and getting to see Nathan regularly again. Great show!”
Acha-56233 shared: “Great writing and an hour filled with action. I loved Nathan Fillon in Castle….but this is an even better role for him.” Jaskarankaloya urged fans not to listen to the negative reviews, adding: “This show is simply amazing. I don’t see how anyone believes that this show is lowering in quality. In my opinion it has kept itself constant. I begin to love the show more and more as it continues.”
Ishanaggarwal-58834 commented: “Great show, honestly better than Castle”, elaborating: “Great show with a great story, every episode has different story yet they all are interconnected. The cast is honestly really nice.” Linoorboyshie concluded: “Given the amount of really poor PI or Cop based American TV series currently flooding the small screen, it’s great to see something that comes across really fresh, as well as a series where you actually care about some of the characters.”
Jenna Dewan and Nathan Fillion in the series(Image: Disney via Getty Images)
Fans got a first look at The Rookie season eight with a teaser trailer on December 16. Fillion shared the trailer on Instagram, adding: “It’s an incredible feat in a long career to still be experiencing firsts, but the season 8 premiere of #therookie finds us across the ocean in an international adventure. Add to that explosions, chases, intrigue and action- and we have ourselves one heck of a season. Come join us Tuesday, Jan 6 on ABC. We’ve been working hard, and it’s time to start enjoying it!”
The Rookie showrunner, Alexi Hawley, spoke with Collider about what fans can expect from the new series, which sends the characters to Prague. He said: “You’re always looking for some way to start with a bang and to do something big. Truth be told, I was just sort of coming off of season two of The Recruit, where we went to Korea for a month and shot a bunch of stuff there.
“So, I was freshly pregnant with the idea of, like, ‘That’s a possibility,’ right? So it just felt like we’ve set up Monica and we set up this immunity deal, and it would be fun to do a little bit of a Blacklist situation where several episodes during the course of the season, we get to go catch a ‘big bad’, so to speak. So, it all sort of got to a place where I’m like, ‘We should go somewhere’.”
He also teased the introduction of new antagonists who are connected to corrupt lawyer Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), adding: “We’ll be introducing a few players, both through the Monica task force and then also through some of our other ongoing storylines.”
The series has spawned two spin-offs, with The Rookie: Feds focusing on a middle-aged protagonist who was reinventing her life by joining the FBI. Sadly, ABC cancelled the series after it fell victim to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. However, it had a resurgence on Disney Plus, where is made its way into the streamer’s top 10 most-watched list.
The Rookie returns for season 8 on January 6 on ABC in the US
