The Rookie season 8 is going through a brand new change that is surely going to divide fans. While technically, the 2024-2025 network TV cycle is already in full swing, some of ABC’s major shows are being held for a mid-season debut. Both The Rookie and Will Trent are set to premiere the respective seasons in January 2026, which was also the case last year.
Considering the success that the ABC procedurals had with this scheduling set-up, it makes sense that the network doesn’t want to deviate much from the tested plan. Both The Rookie season 7 and Will Trent season 3 were among the most-watched shows on broadcast last year, which is a good sign for ABC’s increasingly popular primetime offerings.
However, ABC makes a particularly unexpected move concerning The Rookie season 8, which is surely going to divide its massive followers. Luckily for them, the network also has a solid explanation for it.
ABC Moves The Rookie’s Tuesday Timeslot To 10 PM ET
Instead of its regular 9 pm ET timeslot, ABC pushes The Rookie season 8 an hour later to the final primetime slot on Tuesday nights. This means that it will start broadcast on the East Coast at 10 pm, and will be preceded by Kaitlin Olson’s High Potential season 2 and Will Trent season 4 at 9 and 8 pm ET, respectively. For context, The Rookie season 7, episode 1-6, and 16 all aired at 10 pm ET, but ABC eventually moved it down to 9 pm.
Normally, 9 pm is the perfect slot for primetime shows. It’s usually reserved for high-profile and more established procedurals such as NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and CBS’ FBI. From some viewers’ perspective, an earlier showing could make it easier to catch during live airing. So, pushing it an hour late could impact The Rookie season 8’s linear ratings.
The Rookie Season 8’s 10 PM ET Slot May Not Be Too Bad
What makes this move more interesting, however, is that the procedural does better during the 10 pm timeslot. The Rookie season 7, which released all of its episodes at 9 pm ET, is the lowest-rated year for the show thus far, averaging just 5.92 million viewers every week (via Programming Insider). For context, seasons 1-5 aired at 10 pm ET, except several episodes during season 5 when it moved from Sunday to Tuesday nights, which further pushed its broadcast time to 8 pm ET.
If that still holds true in The Rookie season 8, ABC’s procedural may be looking to enter its most successful year yet. The Nathan Fillion-led procedural is also one of the most-watched cop shows on streaming post-live airing. This means that people are invested enough on it that they are willing to watch it at any time and in any way.
Ultimately, it’s a testament to the growing success of Alexi Hawley’s network TV series. The Rookie season 8 is even breaking ground for traditional broadcasting by kicking things off with a major international storyline. Granted that the change in timeslot may be a negative change for some fans, but it could be for the long-term run of the series.
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The Rookie
6/10
- Release Date
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October 16, 2018
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
- Directors
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Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
