With seven seasons in the books and an eighth season on the horizon, the hit ABC television series, The Rookie, stands out as a bona fide hit. After being on the air for more than seven years, the show’s popularity continues to grow, with the series reaching a season-high audience of 8.25 million viewers with the outstanding Season 7 episode, “Speed.” Television Stats currently ranks The Rookie as the No. 7-ranked show of 2025 based on audience engagement. It’s pretty impressive, as the hit series outranks such huge fan-favorite shows as HBO’s Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, Prime Video’s Invincible and Reacher, and Netflix’s Arcane and Wednesday. These are some of the biggest and most buzz-worthy shows on television right now, and The Rookie is ahead of them all! It’s time to unpack how The Rookie became one of the most popular shows on television.
‘The Rookie’ Has Built One of Network Television’s Best Ensemble Casts
Led by Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, The Rookie has built one of the best, most diverse, and eclectic ensemble casts on television. Fillion, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, and Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, the show boasts a tremendous cast, all of whom demonstrate an appealing, charming energy and sizzling chemistry. The cast made some adjustments over the years, such as the addition of Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox), John’s love interest and eventual second wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), and the defense attorney turned district attorney Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore). The later additions have forged fulfilling roles, becoming incredibly memorable and crucial pieces of what makes The Rookie infinitely watchable.
But what about the title? How can The Rookie be called that when John and Lucy are no longer LAPD rookies? Series creator Alexi Hawley maintained the angle by introducing new rookie recruits in the later seasons, such as Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), who became John’s first recruit as a training officer in Season 5, and Miles Penn (Deric Augustine), who became a new probationary officer under Tim Bradford in Season 7. During her brief time as a training officer, Lucy gains her first training recruit in Seth Ridley (Patrick Keleher) in Season 7. The new rookie recruits have also become great assets to the cast, showcasing their own interesting and unique character arcs. The narrative device of cycling in rookie officers allows for a way to organically keep the veteran characters in the fold while also introducing fresh new ones as the series progresses. The Rookie franchise could arguably keep the cycle going in perpetuity for years.
Chenford Has Become One of the Most Compelling Romances on Television
Few modern television romances in recent memory have affected audiences as much as The Rookie’s Lucy and Tim (or Chenford, as the relationship has been affectionately nicknamed by fans) in their ongoing storyline. What started as a training officer and probationary recruit eventually blossomed into mutual attraction and love. It almost goes without saying that while Nathan Fillion was the main draw for viewers to tune into The Rookie, the ongoing romance between Tim and Lucy became the series’ emotional backbone. The writers exceptionally built up their eventual romance, which finally culminated in Season 5, offering one of the best versions of opposites attract in television history.
Sadly, Tim and Lucy’s relationship fell apart in Season 6 after Tim found himself way too deep in an incident with an old army colleague, Ray Watkins (David Dastmalchian). Despite Tim breaking things off with Lucy, their relationship as friends and colleagues eventually recovered, and Season 7 presented hope of a romantic reconciliation. Now, viewers avidly await Season 8, which will hopefully bring a newly reformed and reinvigorated Chenford, after both characters made significant personal and professional progress last season. The Rookie would not have become such a huge global success without the writers carefully laying out the path leading to Tim and Lucy’s eventual romance. Make no mistake: Chenford is the endgame of all endgame pairings on television, so the writers better make the fans happy in Season 8.
‘The Rookie’ Is Television Comfort Food About Reinventing Your Life
A major aspect of The Rookie, at its core, concerns reinvention and following one’s passion. The story introduces John Nolan as a newly divorced single father who finally finds his calling after he assists in taking down a bank robber. He packs up, moves to Los Angeles, and enrolls in the Los Angeles Police Department, becoming the oldest rookie cop in the LAPD. Despite the odds being stacked against his new career choice, John forges a new path for his life as a police officer, but John is not the only character seeking reinvention.
Lucy Chen was a psychology student in school and the daughter of two psychologists. Rather than following in her parents’ footsteps, she joins the LAPD, but she ultimately finds her true passion in law enforcement. Throughout her prominent run in the series, Lucy pursues undercover work and advances to the sergeant level, recently scoring a promotion at the end of Season 7. John and Lucy’s journeys, from their days as greenhorn rookies to seasoned LAPD officers, have proven incredibly rewarding to viewers who have experienced their trials and tribulations alongside their favorite characters.
Ultimately, aside from the compelling theme of reinvention in life, The Rookie features a unique blend of incredibly entertaining comedy and police procedural drama. The show feels like television comfort food and a fun diversion from everyday life. Although The Rookie takes place in a contemporary LA setting, the humor and antics the Mid-Wilshire Division experiences on patrol turn the show into enthralling television escapism at its finest. The series never takes itself too seriously, yet it becomes serious when the story calls for moments of gravitas. The recent story arc between Nyla and her husband, James Murray (Arjay Smith), being shot in Season 7, is a perfect example of that.
The Rookie viewers obviously appreciate the show’s dramedy style, so it can deftly utilize comedic characters like Skip Tracer Randy (Flula Borg) or Pete Nolan (Pete Davidson) in contrast to a more terrifying villain, such as the serial killer Rosalind Dyer (the late great Annie Wersching). The Rookie does not need to be put in one specific box as a drama, comedy, or a police procedural because it successfully pulls off all those aspects at once, making it one of the most consistently entertaining shows of the decade. The good news for fans is that The Rookie’s hiatus is nearly over, as it finally returns for Season 8 on ABC on January 6, 2026.
- Release Date
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October 16, 2018
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
- Directors
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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
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Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
