When Is "The Rookie" On? All About the Show's Release Schedule Caroline BlairJanuary 27, 2026 at 10:56 PM 0 Nathan Fillion, Bridget Regan and Jenna Dewan acting in 'The Rookie.' Disney/Larry Horricks The Rookie season 8 premiered on Jan. 6, on ABC The hit police procedural aired its first three episodes on Tuesdays before switching to a Monday night schedule beginning on Jan.
- - When Is "The Rookie" On? All About the Show's Release Schedule
Caroline BlairJanuary 27, 2026 at 10:56 PM
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Nathan Fillion, Bridget Regan and Jenna Dewan acting in 'The Rookie.'
Disney/Larry Horricks
The Rookie season 8 premiered on Jan. 6, on ABC
The hit police procedural aired its first three episodes on Tuesdays before switching to a Monday night schedule beginning on Jan. 26
Nathan Fillion, Jenna Dewan, Alyssa Diaz, Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil are all reprising their fan favorite roles
The Rookie has returned with an early season schedule shake-up!
The police procedural comedy, which premiered on Jan. 6, stars Nathan Fillion as Los Angeles police officer John Nolan navigating his life and career as one of the oldest rookie officers in the department.
In addition to Fillion — who also serves as an executive producer— the hit series stars Alyssa Diaz as Detective Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Lieutenant Wade Grey, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Eric Winter as Sergeant Timothy "Tim" Bradford, Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez.
Unlike past seasons that focus on L.A., season 8 takes the crew to Prague, where Nolan and his colleagues team up with the FBI and Interpol for a "global operation" to "track down terrorist targets."
After the season 8 premiere, Fillion and Dewan spoke to PEOPLE about the rest of the season, and the actress teased that people can expect "a lot of suspense and scare almost," as well as "so much comedy" and "romance."
"I think it's comfort food for people," Fillion added. "I think it's relaxing to watch, because they can get excited about things and they can get intense about things, and then things will be okay."
Here's everything to know about The Rookie season 8 release schedule — including the day for new episodes.
When did The Rookie season 8 premiere?
The Rookie cast.
John Russo/Disney
The Rookie season 8 premiered on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The following two episodes also aired on Tuesdays before its release night changed.
The season 8 premiere of The Rookie earned a whopping 9.35 million total viewers, ABC reported, citing Nielsen. The episode marked the show's best ratings among total viewers since its season 2 premiere in 2019. The season premiere also earned the highest viewership of the series on Hulu and Disney+.
Fillion and Dewan later joked to PEOPLE that their characters — who married in season 6 — found a way to make their international mission a romantic vacation.
"I don't think these two characters get a lot of opportunity to leave town on such a gorgeous location," Fillion told PEOPLE. "So they kind of ruled this job into a second honeymoon of sorts."
He added, "Even in classic John and Bailey [fashion], even though we were like, 'Let's turn this into a second honeymoon,' even that doesn't really go as planned. Beggars can't be choosers. Yet, I think they're two very grateful people who enjoy each other at the very least."
When did The Rookie episode schedule change?
Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Nathan Fillion and Deric Augustine in 'The Rookie'
Disney/Mike Taing
After the first three episodes aired on Tuesdays on Jan. 6, 13 and 20, The Rookie changed its schedule to air Monday nights, instead, beginning on Monday, Jan. 26. ABC announced the change to fans by posting several videos of the cast members sharing the news on Instagram.
"This is your sign to start loving Mondays. New #TheRookie episodes will be dropping on a new night!" the show captioned an Instagram video on Jan. 24.
The Rookie now airs after American Idol — which premiered on Jan. 26. Starting on March 3, ABC's new drama series RJ Decker will take over the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot, per ABC.
What time do The Rookie episodes air?
Patrick Keleher and Melissa O'Neil in 'The Rookie'
Disney/Mike Taing
Although The Rookie has changed its weeknight schedule, the time has remained the same. New episodes of The Rookie air at 10 p.m. ET, after American Idol.
What is The Rookie season 8 episode release schedule?
Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan in 'The Rookie'
Mike Taing/Disney
As of January 2026, TV Guide has reported that there will be 18 episodes in season 8, but ABC has not released an official schedule. TVLine also reported that all 14 episodes following the date change would have a straight run with no interruptions.
The following list is the confirmed release schedule for season 8 of The Rookie:
Jan. 6: Season 8 Premiere, "Czech Mate"
Jan. 13: "Fast Andy"
Jan. 20: "The Red Place"
Jan. 26: "Cut and Run"
Feb. 2: "The Network"
Where can I watch The Rookie?
Eric Winter acting in 'The Rookie'
Disney/Mike Taing
The Rookie season 8 episodes premiere on ABC and are available to stream on Hulu the following day. All seven seasons of The Rookie are streaming on Hulu.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 27, 2026 at 05:36PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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