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The Rookie isn't new tonight, May 20 (and there's more bad news to follow)

Not only will we not get a new episode of The Rookie tonight, Tuesday, May 20, but we also have to wait months for a new episode.
ByAlexandria Ingham|
THE ROOKIE - ÒThe MickeyÓ - On CelinaÕs last day as a rookie, John gives her one final test. Meanwhile, Bailey makes a new friend, and Lucy places her faith in Seth for an undercover assignment. TUESDAY, FEB. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Raymond Liu) ALYSSA DIAZ, SHAWN ASHMORE
THE ROOKIE - ÒThe MickeyÓ - On CelinaÕs last day as a rookie, John gives her one final test. Meanwhile, Bailey makes a new friend, and Lucy places her faith in Seth for an undercover assignment. TUESDAY, FEB. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Raymond Liu) ALYSSA DIAZ, SHAWN ASHMORE

We start off the post with some bad news. There isn’t a new episode of The Rookie on tonight, Tuesday, May 20.

That’s okay; we can wait a week, right? We can deal with a rerun as a one-off! Well, this is where there is even worse news. There isn’t even a rerun on tonight, because this break is longer than a week. ABC’s summer schedule is starting up, and tonight is all about game shows.

Why isn’t there a new episode of The Rookie on tonight?

What’s the deal with the break? Well, that’s due to The Rookie season 7 finale airing last Tuesday, May 13. That’s why the episode left on such a major cliffhanger. The series wants to keep you hooked for the summer months to that you return when the series does.

At least in some good news, The Rookie season 8 is definitely happening. Now it comes for the summer break. It’s just a summer break, right? Sadly, we have more bad news.

FLULA BORG, NATHAN FILLION, RICHARD T. JONES
THE ROOKIE - “Mutiny And The Bounty” - The team helps Skip Tracer Randy when his new love interest is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Angela and Nyla enlist their moms to help catch a con artist, and Wesley is threatened to drop a case. TUESDAY, MAY 6 (9:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing) FLULA BORG, NATHAN FILLION, RICHARD T. JONES

The Rookie season 8 won’t air in 2025

ABC has released the fall 2025 schedule, and there are two shows notably missing. Will Trent and The Rookie are not returning in fall 2025. They won’t return at all this year, with the earliest we’ll see them as January 2026.

This isn’t all bad news, though. Like this year, a January return means a far more consistent schedule. The Rookie season 7 saw a couple of weeks where there wasn’t a new episode due to politics. This is what will happen with season 8, as we’ll still get an almost full season at around 18 episodes. There will be a strong run from January to May, and consistency is what’s helping shows remain on the air.

ERIC WINTER, MELISSA OÕNEIL
THE ROOKIE - ÒThe ShotÓ - Now recovering from a gunshot wound and feeling the effects of his age, John and the team welcome two new rookies and continue the hunt for two dangerous inmates with very personal vendettas following their prison escape. TUESDAY, JAN. 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. ERIC WINTER, MELISSA OÕNEIL

What to expect in The Rookie season 8

The end of season 7 brought a cliffhanger of Oscar being out in the wind yet again. This is one sneaky criminal, even though he doesn’t seem all that smart. We know that Monica helped him escape as he shared that, but isn’t she behind bars? Well, she’s out as well, after she managed to leverage information to make a deal with the feds.

There will also be a push to get Chenford back together. After some hopeful steps forward, the season finale left us with some disappointment. Bradford made a huge speech about how he had been to therapy and wanted to make amends for his choices. He even wanted her to move in with him. And yet, she had fallen asleep. Hopefully, he understands that! The night shift is gruelling.

We’ll just have to wait and see, but we need to wait until January 2026.

The Rookie is available to stream on Hulu.

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