Tuesday nights are supposed to be all about quirky crime dramas on ABC, but there is going to be a sudden (and annoying) change to the schedule. The Rookie is on the move, just three episodes into its new season, to make way for a show that won’t even premiere yet.
The Rookie season 8 will get one more episode on Tuesdays at 10/9c. After that, it will move to another night, and one that I’m not too certain about. The one thing that helps this series is the fact that it’s been on for so long that it will have a loyal fanbase and there are newer fans tuning in thanks to streaming.
The Rookie is on the move in January 2026
Just three episodes into The Rookie season 8, ABC will move the show to Mondays at 10/9c. Now, there are some benefits to this, including that CBS has held its main scripted shows until February and March, so there’s only Brilliant Minds as competition on NBC. The two shows are vastly different, so they pull in different fanbases.
That being said, the move is happening earlier than we’d like, and it doesn’t quite make sense. It’s all for RJ Decker, the new ABC series, which will arrive in March.
Yes, you read that right. The move is happening now to prepare for something in two months.
The remaining 15 episodes of The Rookie after its move to Mondays will air without interruptions. That means ABC isn’t planning on putting shows on hiatus during the Winter Olympics, which is a risky move.
The Rookie season 8 will still air on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 10/9c. It will then move to Mondays on Monday, Jan. 26 at 10/9c on ABC.
Why is The Rookie on the move?
The decision has been made for the sake of the new series, RJ Decker, starring Scott Speedman. In all honestly, we knew that Tuesdays would be the perfect night for the series, but we suspected that it would air in the middle slot between Will Trent and The Rookie once High Potential season 2 has finished airing. ABC clearly has other plans.
RJ Decker will premiere on Tuesday, March 3 at 10/9c on ABC. The Tuesday night shows are sure to take Tuesday, Feb. 24 off as that’s when the State of the Union Address will be, and it’s why the NCIS franchise is being preempted by a week on CBS.
RJ Decker follows a failed photographer and ex-con who decides to start life as a private investigator in south Florida. And so starts a series of bizarre cases that you know we’re all interested in following.
The Rookie will move to Mondays on Jan. 26 at 10/9c on ABC.