The release month for The Rookie season 7 has seemingly been revealed. The popular ABC show follows the exploits of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), who became the oldest rookie on the LAPD after getting divorced in his mid-40s. The ensemble cast of the show also includes Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Tru Valentino, and Lisseth Chavez. The Rookie season 7 was renewed in April, a month before the season 6 finale.
On his official X account, Eric Winter – who has played training officer Tim Bradford as part of the main cast in every season of the show – responded to a fan asking when The Rookie season 7 would premiere. The fan’s post included a screenshot of him liking a previous post asking the same question without answering it. In his repost, he shared that the new season will debut “in January.” This has not been officially confirmed by ABC at the time of writing. See Winter’s original post below:
What This Means For The Rookie Season 7
The Show’s Return Date Can Potentially Be Pinpointed
If the Rookie star is correct about the January premiere, it seems highly likely that it will premiere as early as possible in the month. With the exception of season 1, which concluded in April, every season of the show has so far aired its finale in mid-May, usually on the 15th or the 16th with the latest finale date being May 21. This includes its two shortest seasons, the 10-episode season 6 (which premiered in February 2024) and the 14-episode season 3 (which premiered in January 2021), so it seems likely that season 7 will do the same.
The Rookie
season 6 received a truncated episode order because it was produced in the wake of the 2023 Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes, during which both unions took to the picket lines to fight for fair pay.
Presuming it airs on Tuesdays and ends in May, the fact that season 7 has received an 18-episode order gives it a much more limited span of time in which it can possibly air. There are only 20 Tuesdays between the beginning of the year and Tuesday, May 20. Considering the fact that both season 6 and season 3 took several weeks off in March, leaving room for a hiatus similar to those The Rookie seasonswould most likely mean that season 7 will premiere on January 7, 2024, which is the first Tuesday of the year.
Our Take On The Rookie Season 7 Update
The ABC Show’s Future Looks Bright
While it is possible that The Rookie season 7 could air both its premiere and its finale slightly later than precedent, it does seem that, with its early renewal, full schedule, and increased episode order, the new season is putting the show back on track. While the spinoff The Rookie: Feds was cancelled after one season in the wake of the strikes, the flagship show is being given an opportunity to capture strong viewership and prolong the show’s longevity, potentially even returning to normal 22-episode orders in future seasons, should it be renewed.
Source: Eric Winter/X
The Rookie is a police procedural television series that stars Nathan Fillion as police officer John Nolan. At 45 years old, John becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department. The show premiered on ABC in 2018.
- Release Date
- October 16, 2018
- Seasons
- 6
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Writers
- Alexi Hawley
- Directors
- Toa Fraser
- Showrunner
- Alexi Hawley