As ABC continues to make decisions for next season, The Rookie recently got some very good news. The procedural is indeed coming back for Season 9, and Season 8 is still airing on the 2026 TV schedule. While the intense storylines involving action, romance, and drama had something to do with the renewal, as well as the beloved characters, that’s not all. Audience is, of course, a big chunk of the decision, and I just found out that teens are actually the target audience, and my mind is blown.
Deadline reports that the show’s Season 8 premiere in January was The Rookie’s biggest debut on streaming, and was also among the Top 5 ABC premieres of all time. It was up from last season’s premiere in MP+3 viewership, but that’s not where the surprising part comes in. Evidently, as The Rookie continues to have its most-watched season on streaming, it closed out 2025 as the top broadcast show among teens.
