Five months have passed since the season finale of The Rookie (Season 8, Episode 18: “The Bandit”) aired, and we’re still talking about it.
The eighth season concluded on a cliffhanger as Tim (Eric Winter) and Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) were abducted moments after their romantic beach engagement. The show’s creator, Alexi Hawley, promised that Season 9 would pick up exactly where that left off.
The Abduction Cliffhanger
“Heath Everett says ‘Payback is a bitch.’”
“We’re so sorry for that,” O’Neil said during the show’s Comic-Con panel back in July, “but also thank you for going along for the ride.”
At the time, Hawley told Deadline that Season 9 would open with the fallout from the kidnapping. “We’re definitely gonna start that way, figure out where they are, and figure out how to get them back, and whatever obstacles we can put in their way on that,” he said. “And then seeing Tim and Lucy wherever they are, I don’t think they’re going to sit idly by and wait to be rescued. What does that look like? I don’t know yet, but I’m excited to find out.”
The Spinoff Arrives Too
Not only is The Rookie returning for Season 9, but a new spinoff, The Rookie: North, will debut on ABC in 2027. The series follows Alex Holland (Jay Ellis), a man who joins the Pierce County Police Department after a “violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose.”
“I knew North being up in the Pacific Northwest was gonna feel inherently different, but I didn’t really know how different it would feel,” Hawley told Entertainment Weekly. “It makes the show feel familiar, but it’s really its own thing. Obviously the cast is very different, but the place of it all… And it was designed that way on purpose.”
A group of actors make up the cast: Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe, and Malik Watson. The setting carries a great deal of importance for the project, and Hawley said it influences the whole undertaking.
When Season 9 Starts
ABC has not scheduled The Rookie for its fall lineup. The network has already stated that The Rookie, High Potential, and Will Trent will premiere at midseason instead. No official dates have been released yet, but all three series are expected to come back in early 2027, which we estimate to be early January.
In July, Hawley revealed that the ninth season premiere would be a “supersized two-parter” that “won’t be resolved in one episode.” “I think it’s the best of what we do,” Hawley said. “It’s incredibly high-stakes, dramatic. It’s a love story; it’s funny and unexpected.”
How to Watch Online
Hulu and Disney+ are currently streaming all episodes of The Rookie. The cost for each service can be found online.
If you’re after extra streaming content without breaking the bank, consider one of the Disney+ Bundles. Each of these packages comes with Hulu included, and they range from $12.99 per month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu, up to $32.99 per month for the trio of Disney+, Hulu, and Max, which is ad-free.
A Note on the Abduction Cliffhanger
ABC’s ninth season of The Rookie starts in early 2027. The show leaves viewers with an unresolved abduction, and Hawley has said that Tim and Lucy will take action rather than merely waiting for rescue.
| Show | Premiere Window | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| The Rookie (Season 9) | Early 2027 | ABC, Hulu, Disney+ |
| The Rookie: North | 2027 | ABC |
Season 9 is on its way, and the wait has already started. The Rookie audience will soon have two shows to watch: a new season and a spinoff, with the people behind both projects expressing real enthusiasm about what’s ahead.
See the video the story is built around at Decider.
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