Beloved TV Show Becomes ABC’s 3rd Longest-Running Drama With Renewal News

The Rookie has officially been renewed for season 9, making the popular TV show the third longest-running drama in ABC’s history.

ABC announced the renewal news on Monday, April 13. As The Rookie prepares for its ninth season, it trails behind only Grey’s Anatomy and NYPD Blue in the race for the network’s longest-running drama. Grey’s Anatomy is currently airing its 22nd season and has already been renewed for a 23rd, while NYPD Blue ran for 12 seasons from 1993 to 2005.

In its ninth season, The Rookie will tie with Dynasty and The F.B.I. as the third longest-running ABC drama ever. With both airing for nine seasons, Dynasty was on from 1981 to 1989, while The F.B.I. was on from 1965 to 1974.

TV fans may wonder why 9-1-1 doesn’t outrank The Rookie since the former is heading into its 10th season. However, 9-1-1 first aired on Fox for six seasons before moving to ABC in 2024.

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The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley reacted to the show’s renewal on Monday, telling Deadline, “So far, the mindset across the board is, as [cast member] Melissa O’Neil said, ‘Let’s Grey’s Anatomy this thing.’”

Hawley assured fans that the show’s storyline potential is still rich despite its longevity.

“I think everybody is having a good time, it’s a cast that truly loves each other and enjoys coming to work, they get to do fun stuff every day,” he explained. “And at this point, heading into season 9, I don’t feel like we’re anywhere near out of ideas. Part of that is we’re not a procedural where I have to come up with a body drop every week. We really can reinvent ourselves a lot, and that helps with not feeling like we’re running out of story. Every time you bring in a new rookie or a new character, that also changes things. So, yeah, I would do this until they turn the lights out.”

Despite being in its eighth season, The Rookie has experienced an uptick in viewership, achieving its most watched season ever on streaming. Hawley speculated about what keeps fans intrigued after all these years as well as draws in new viewers.

“I do think that ultimately the success of the show is partly because from week to week, the audience really doesn’t know what version of The Rookie they’re going to get,” he said. “Is it going to be a big fun event in the episode? Is it going to be more comedic or romantic or scary? I like switching things up, I like that sort of energy of it.”

The Rookie stars Nathan Fillion (John Nolan), Mekia Cox (Nyla Harper), Alyssa Diaz (Angela Lopez), Richard T. Jones (Wade Grey), O’Neil (Lucy Chen), Eric Winter (Tim Bradford), Jenna Dewan (Bailey Nune), Shawn Ashmore (Wesley Evers), Lisseth Chavez (Celina Juarez) and Deric Augustine (Miles Penn).

There are three episodes of The Rookie’s eighth season remaining. The finale is scheduled to air on May 4.

The Rookie airs on ABC Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.