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Things are changing in Mid-Wilshire in The rookie season 9.
ABC’s first procedural series won’t return until 2027 after an intense TV cycle 2025-2026. Following the previous trend in network planning, The rookie season 9 has officially been booked for mid-season, alongside Will Trent season 5 and even High potential season 3. Despite this, Alexi Hawley’s crime thriller is back on set to begin production, along with other series set to return in the fall.
While the delay is admittedly frustrating, especially the major cliffhanger that left the fates of Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford hanging in the balance, starting production this early may serve as a sort of consolation. Contrary to The rookie ambitious premiere of season 8which was set in Prague and filmed on location, John Nolan and his team are keeping things local for the new cycle, as their first priority is rescuing their kidnapped colleagues. Beyond what we can expect from its immediate return to prime time, The rookie season 9 is also expected to get a significant update overall.
As shared by Déric Augustin on Instagram, work has begun on the next season of The rookieas he gets to grips with the inner workings of some of Mid-Wilshire’s best. But more importantly, the image features Miles Penn’s new business card, which officially labels him a “police officer,” meaning he’s no longer a newbie. This is a major change in the current situation The rookie together as this paves the way for ABC to replace this particular role. Look at the image below:
Another notable detail included in the image is Chen’s bag, which effectively reveals his safe rescue. Not that there are any concrete indications that Melissa O’Neil will be leaving the show, but it’s still great to have this confirmation. The sack of Wade Gray also suggests that although the task force ended in The rookie season 8, the former Watch Commander isn’t ready to retire just yet. Overall, Penn’s new role is the only major change in the ABC series, but that doesn’t mean it will be the last.
The only downside to this revelation is the idea that The rookie maybe he’s missing out on a real graduation celebration for Penn. Celina had a brief but happy one, and it would be nice if her successor had her version too. If it’s really not intended for the character, I hope The rookie is able to do more with him in season 9, especially since he was severely underused in season 8.
The rookie season 9 breaks a record as it is the first time in five years that work on the show has started in July instead of June. Although the project can certainly have new episodes ready in time for The ABC portfolio fall 2026the chances of his schedule changing at this point are very slim to none. Despite the extra few months of waiting, at least The Rookie’s cast has still been engaged by fans, meaning more content from the ensemble will be rolling out in the coming weeks.
The rookie
6/10
- Release date
- October 16, 2018
- Network
- ABC
- Showrunner
- Alexi Hawley
- 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, Charissu SJn Sanjar Weiss Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro