Summary

  • The Rookie season 8 will premiere in January 2026, much to the excitement of fans.
  • John Oliver joked about the premise of The Rookie and other ABC shows on Last Week Tonight.
  • Despite Nolan no longer being a rookie, fans eagerly await the next season and enjoy Fillion's performance.

The Rookie was renewed for season 8 a few months ago, and John Oliver mentioned this fact on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight. He also noted something about the show that fans have also likely thought about.

While fans would love to catch up with Nolan and the other funny and clever people in his life as part of ABC's fall 2025 broadcast schedule, there's going to be a longer wait. Season 7 premiered in January 2025, and it was recently announced that The Rookie season 8 will premiere in January 2026. In the meantime, fans will want to hear what Oliver said about the popular procedural on the episode of La,st Week Tonight which aired on Sunday, May 18th, 2025.

John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez) on The Rookie
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After The Rookie Season 8's Renewal, John Oliver Made A Memorable Comment About The Premise

John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) on The Rookie

According to TV Line, John Oliver talked about the TV shows that ABC recently renewed, including The Rookie and Will Trent. He praised Doctor Odyssey​​​​​​, Ryan Murphy's TV drama that premiered in September 2024 but hasn't gotten a second season renewal. Oliver said:

“I shouldn’t complain about the other shows. I shouldn’t care that a show called and about a rookie is returning for its premise-defying eighth season, and I don’t begrudge any audience members for sticking around to find out if their favorite characters will or won’t Trent."

As Oliver mentioned, the original premise of The Rookie isn't exactly the same as it was when it premiered in 2018. While John Nolan starts off the show as a middle-aged rookie cop, and the other characters are younger than him, he's no longer a rookie. Now, Nolan is an experienced police officer with the LAPD, and, most notably, rookie Miles Penn (Deric Augustine) has joined the team. Other notable characters include recent returning character Seth Ridley (Patrick Keheler), Nolan's wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), officer Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), and sergaents Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter).

Oliver also joked about Will Trent, the ABC drama that also airs on Tuesday nights. The procedural focuses on the title character, who is played by Ramón Rodríguez and who is a special agent at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Both Will Trent and The Rookie have high ratings and a large fanbase, and fans definitely expected them to each be renewed.

Of course, while The Rookie's premise is compelling and draws viewers in, it would be tough for Nolan to remain a rookie for the entire show. The story has to move forward, and time has to pass. If he never progressed in his career, it would become frustrating.

The Rookie season 7 finale, "The Good, The Bad, and the Oscar," aired on Tuesday May 13th, 2025, and showrunner Alexi Hawley said there would be some action scenes. The episode revolves around Nolan working with Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) to find Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave), a villain who is likely returning next season. While Nolan might not be a rookie anymore, he's still an optimistic and smart character who fans are happy to watch on a weekly basis. Although he might not have done what he planned to do in The Rookie season 7 finale, he's still an endearing main character, and viewers continue to enjoy Fillion's performance. Although fans have a few notes about the most recent episode, they still like the show and eagerly await season 8.

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The Rookie
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TV-14
Crime
Drama
Comedy
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Release Date
October 16, 2018
Network
ABC
Showrunner
Alexi Hawley
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Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen and Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in The Rookie season 4
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Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen and Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in The Rookie season 4
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in an episode of The Rookie
The Rookie Cast
Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen pointing at something with Eric Winter as Tim Bradford by her side in The Rookie season 1 episode Greenlight
Titus Makin Jr as Jackson West, Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen, and Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in The Rookie season 1, episode 16
Jackson West in The Rookie season 3, episode 7
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in The Rookie season 7, episode 2
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Cast

See All
  • instar52203872-1.jpg
    Nathan Fillion
    John Nolan
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    Melissa O'Neil
    Lucy Chen

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Directors
Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
Writers
Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
Creator(s)
Alexi Hawley
John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) on The Rookie
'Heading For A Good Place' The Rookie Showrunner Shares A Major Relationship Update After Season 7 Finale

Showrunner Alexi Hawley talked about the status of one major relationship after The Rookie season 7, which aired on May 13th, 2025.

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Source: TVLine.com