When Does “The Rookie” Season 8 Premiere? All About John Nolan and His Crew's Return
- - When Does “The Rookie” Season 8 Premiere? All About John Nolan and His Crew's Return
Christopher Rudolph, Nicole PomaricoJanuary 2, 2026 at 10:00 AM
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John Russo/Disney
The Rookie cast. -
The Rookie season 7 came to a close in May 2025
The ABC police procedural returns for season 8 on Jan. 6, 2026
The first trailer for the upcoming episodes was released in December 2025
The Rookie is back on duty — and this time, he's going international.
In January 2026, The Rookie returns for season 8, and now that the full trailer is here, fans can get their first glimpse at Los Angeles cop John Nolan as he heads to Prague for a "global operation."
Even after seven seasons, playing John Nolan remains fun for Nathan Fillion.
"What's great is that, though he's seven seasons into this new job, the job itself is not a static job. You don't go in to do the same thing every day," he told TV Guide in March 2025. "Every time a call comes in, it could be something goofy and hilarious, [or] it could be something life altering and dangerous."
He continued, "So you never know what's going to happen next, and every single situation is a learning situation."
What's ahead might be a surprise for Nolan, but what about the future of The Rookie itself? Here's everything we know so far about season 8 of The Rookie.
Will there be a season 8 of The Rookie?
Disney/Mike Taing
Lisseth Chavez and Nathan Fillion in 'The Rookie.'
Yes, The Rookie has been renewed for season 8, The Hollywood Reporter reported in May.
The Rookie was one of the seven scripted shows ABC announced would return for the 2025-2026 schedule. The other series include 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, High Potential, Grey’s Anatomy, Shifting Gears and Will Trent.
A 9-1-1, spinoff, 9-1-1: Nashville, was also given a straight-to-series order.
Which cast members are returning for The Rookie season 8?
Disney/Mike Taing
Eric Winter in 'The Rookie.'
Fillion, who has appeared in all 144 episodes and serves as an executive producer, is back as John Nolan.
Other actors in The Rookie season 7 ensemble who are likely to return include Eric Winter, Melissa O’Neil, Richard T. Jones, Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan and Lisseth Chavez.
After the season 8 renewal announcement, Fillion posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, shouting-out creator Alexi Hawley.
"I’ve been around long enough to know how truly challenging and rare it is to have a long running show," he wrote. "Thank you all for sticking around for these 7 seasons. It’s because of you that we are announcing season 8!! Congratulations to @alexihawley and the wonderful team that puts this show together. I am so very proud to work alongside all of you. Let’s do this!"
Cox also shared the renewal news on her Instagram with the message, "Guess who’s comin back for a Season 8!!!!!"
Is there a trailer for The Rookie season 8?
The first trailer for The Rookie season 8 was released on Dec. 16 and showed Nolan back in action as the LAPD teams up with the FBI to "track down terrorist targets" as part of a worldwide operation.
The clips included in the trailer are action packed, so it looks like their international mission is going to be an explosive one.
The new footage also includes a peek at Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave)'s return.
When will The Rookie season 8 be released?
Disney/Mike Taing
Alyssa Diaz and Mekia Cox in 'The Rookie.'
Season 7 of The Rookie premiered midseason in January 2025 and it looks like the upcoming set of episodes might follow the same schedule when season 8 premieres on Jan. 6, 2026.
“Rookie and Will Trent is a repeat of the extraordinarily successful schedule we had last season,” said Craig Erwich, president of the Disney Television Group, said in May, per Deadline. “When we start in January, we’re able to run all of the episodes straight through, and it creates this kind of momentum.”
In the same announcement, Erwich indicated that The Rookie and Will Trent would be returning to their Tuesday night slot, explaining that it "has become really a must-see destination night of television for our viewers."
When The Rookie comes back, it will be for an uninterrupted 18-episode run, per TVLine.
What will happen in The Rookie season 8?
Disney/Mike Taing
Nathan Fillion, Jenna Dewan and Lisseth Chavez in 'The Rookie.'
In a May 2025 interview with Collider, Hawley revealed that the writers were already working on season 8.
In the penultimate episode of season 7, L.A. Assistant District Attorney Sean Del Monte (Michael Trucco) stepped down from the D.A. race, a plot that Hawley revealed will most likely continue next season.
"I’m a little allergic to politics, just as storytelling, because I don’t find it that interesting on narrative TV," Hawley told Deadline in May 2025. "But I think we found a way in to keep that storyline going in Season 8. It’s early days but that’s not the end of that storytelling."
In the same episode, Pete Nolan — the character played by Pete Davidson in seasons 2 and 4 — was mentioned. While Davidson wasn't seen, he could return in season 8.
"Pete Davidson is someone we’re desperate to get back, and he loves doing the show," Hawley said to the outlet. "Hopefully in Season 8 we can get Pete back, that would be great."
One plot that has apparently come to an end is Nolan and Bailey Nune (Dewan) trying to adopt. The couple's application was denied due to the danger of their line of work, and when ScreenRant asked Hawley if the storyline had come to a close, he responded, "I think it has."
"[It’s] the reality of their unique situation. But I think they've come through it and, for now at least, have made their peace with [the fact] that it’s just the two of them," he explained.
Where can I watch The Rookie?
Disney/Mike Taing
Patrick Keleher and Melissa O'Neil in 'The Rookie.'
All seven seasons of The Rookie are now streaming on Hulu. Season 8 will air on ABC, and episodes will be added to Hulu the day after.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
