When will John Nolan and the team at LAPD grace our screens? Continue reading to find out more about The Rookie Season 6.
Attention all fans of The Rookie! It’s time to get ready and mark your calendars because the highly anticipated Season 6 might just be around the corner. The hit police procedural drama that has become a favorite among viewers worldwide has left the fandom with a burning question: “Will it be premiering in August 2023?” Leading to many rumors swirling all over the web, causing the speculation to be at an all-time high.
So, if you are wondering the same thing, then we can assure you that you have reached the right place to know all your answers about the much-anticipated sixth season of The Rookie! In short, hold onto your seats because we definitely think that this new season will also captivate the audience once again, as it has done for the last five seasons! Here is everything we know so far about the potential release window of ABC’s The Rookie Season 6.
The Rookie Season 6 Release Date: When is it premiering on ABC?
After much anticipation ever since the series was renewed for a sixth season back in April 2023, for the 2023–24 fall broadcast season, since then the fandom is quite excited to see the new chapter of John Nolan, a man in his forties, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). After all, the renewal is not a surprise as the show has been in the Top 5 of ABC’s most-viewed scripted series and is a great utility player who captured the hearts of millions!
Even though this was a great update for the fandom to look forward to, sadly, the excitement for its comeback didn’t last long, as the season’s scheduled premiere, which was bound to happen sometime in the fall of ABC 2023-24, broadcast season has been put on definite hold! The main reason is the ongoing dual strikes, which include the 2023 WGA strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which doesn’t seem to end anytime soon!
Hence causing many production houses to halt their work temporarily, with reports circulating that the writing for the upcoming season has not started, which is quite unfortunate when we consider the fact that filming usually begins by the summer season if the network is aiming for its fall release later this year. As a direct result of this situation, it looks like the eagerly awaited new season of the series will not be available to stream anytime soon, making the fandom wait for longer than they anticipated!
The network has also confirmed and decided to postpone the release date for the majority of their scripted shows until next year! The ABC network has decided to include all the unscripted shows along with the reruns of prior seasons for the remaining months of 2023 in order to cover up the empty slots for the fall broadcast season due to the lack of active writers and actors that are taking part in the ongoing strikes causing delays in writing and production, which might last for quite some weeks, allowing the network to publish the revised schedule.
Due to this, any hopes from the network to release any new details about the new season in August 2023, let alone any expectation for the network to release the potential release date in the coming months, are way too far-fetched! Moreover, after analyzing the current timeline, it’s not difficult to assume that the series will make its comeback sometime in the first quarter of 2024, which is January, February, and March. Only if the production commences by the end of this year, it is also speculated to air at the same time slot of 10 p.m. on ABC and later be available to stream on Hulu on a weekly basis without causing any unwanted changes in the primetime schedule.
Until then, we’ll just have to wait, as more details will be confirmed later. Last but not least, we strongly advise our readers to follow ABC on social media in order to be informed about all the recent information. To stay up-to-date on the dual strikes, the readers should also pay attention to the official statements made by credible sources in the press releases that will be issued in the near future to be informed about the status of the ongoing strikes. So, we recommend readers follow the official ABC social handles to catch up with all the latest updates whenever they are published.
In the meantime, check out the official renewal announcement as shared on the official Twitter handle of the show, quoting, “It’s official: #TheRookie will return for Season 6!!”
It's official: #TheRookie will return for Season 6!!! 🎉💙 pic.twitter.com/ssrJz3yo1G
— The Rookie (@therookie) April 17, 2023
The Rookie Season 6 Production Status: Has it begun?
As stated above, one thing is pretty much clear due to the ongoing 2023 WGA strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which has put Hollywood on a halt for the first time in 63 years, we assume that the filming might take a while to resume the completion of scripts and filming of the episodes, just like many other original ABC series, which have also stopped their work due to a lack of writers and actors, leading to a major delay in the official production, which is speculated to commence later this year as the negotiations are still bound to happen in the coming weeks!
Moreover, in a recent meeting which was held for the first time in more than three months! Unfortunately, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. Their inability to agree on terms for returning to the bargaining table comes after their much-anticipated meeting to discuss a possible resumption of talks. “As of now, there is no agreement on these items, because the AMPTP said they needed to consult with their member studios before moving forward,” the union said in a statement last Friday after the meeting.
Due to this, we are convinced that the next season will not begin production anytime soon!
Us until Season 6 of #TheRookie 😳😳😳 Thank you for watching. pic.twitter.com/sKN53KAB5i
— The Rookie (@therookie) May 3, 2023
The Rookie Season 6 Plot: What to expect?
Even though not much has been revealed about the future plotlines in order to avoid earlier but, we are certain that the series will continue to follow John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD, who has used his life experience, determination, and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20 years his junior. Nearing the end of his training, Nolan now faces his biggest challenge as a police officer when he must come to terms with the choices he has made in pursuit of the truth.
The series is also based on real-life LAPD officer William Norcross, who moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and joined the department in his mid-40s. The series is also expected to continue from the fifth season’s final episode, “Under Siege,” which was directed by Bill Roe and written by Alexi Hawley. The episodes showcased Thorsen and Juarez being ambushed by masked assailants after investigating a suspected disturbance and being seriously wounded.
Later the viewers get to see that when Juarez is hospitalized and recounts a riddle to Nolan said to her by one of the assailants. Mid-Wilshire is put on high alert, and even further when Nolan and Bailey are attacked, and Harper’s child is shortly abducted. Lopez works with Wesley and Luna Grey in deciding the riddle. The police look into past run-ins, identifying one with a prior record, and find him dead in his booby-trapped house.
By the end of the season, they further narrow his possible prison encounters, with Bradford and Chen visiting Luke Moran. An army of masked men with police shields pursue them, but they’re swiftly taken out with reinforcements on-scene. With Moran caught and surrounded, he makes one last stand before being killed. As further reinforcements role in, a mystery man in a passing vehicle praises how well Moran served as a distraction.
Take a look at the official teaser trailer for the fifth season’s final episode below:
The Rookie Season 6 Cast: Who will reprise their roles?
The casting is still subject to change, but the potential main cast members that we speculate will return from the fifth season are as follows: Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, and Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen.
On the other hand, we would also like to highlight that these cast members are still subject to change, as it is still uncertain who will join or leave the show for the upcoming season due to cost-cutting caused by the impact of the ongoing double strikes!
Hence, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next and in what direction the creators will take moving forward! In addition to this, the beloved series is created by Alexi Hawley for ABC, and the series is produced by ABC Signature and Entertainment One (eOne), which is the lead studio and international distributor of The Rookie, a co-production with ABC Signature. Moreover, ABC Signature is a part of Disney Television Studios.
Congratulations to #TheRookie on the #Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie! #EmmyNoms #Emmys pic.twitter.com/99Q0pFPv3M
— The Rookie (@therookie) July 12, 2023
The Rookie Season 6 Episodes: Where to watch?
The next season is expected to consist of at least 22 episodes with an average runtime of 42–45 minutes, just to be consistent with the previous seasons. Of course, this is subject to change if the network wants to make a smaller or bigger season, which will be confirmed later. We would also like to stress the fact that the ongoing 2023 WGA strike, along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, might drastically cause a drop in the official episode count, which can be changed to 15 to 18 episodes rather than the standard episode count for many original ABC shows.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what decision the show creators will take for the sixth season!
Moreover, despite being an ABC Network original series, all episodes of the series are also available to stream on Hulu based on the viewer’s location. Moreover, you can also watch The Rookie on Disney Plus, Hotstar (for Indian audiences), or FuboTV. You can also stream The Rookie by renting or purchasing it on Amazon Instant Video, Lifetime, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu, with a range of membership options based on viewers’ locations and preferences. Lastly, The Rookie has been licensed in more than 180 countries and territories.
Look back on an incredible season of #TheRookie with us 💙 pic.twitter.com/B8RzvtXuZf
— The Rookie (@therookie) July 24, 2023
The Rookie Season 6 Frequently Asked Questions
When was The Rookie renewed for Season 6?
The series got an early renewal for a sixth season in April 2023, which was approved before the fifth season ended on May 2, 2023. Moreover, the series has been licensed in more than 180 countries and territories.
Is there any spin-off series?
Yes! The Rookie: Feds is another series in this universe which is an American police procedural crime drama television series and spin-off of The Rookie. Created by Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter for ABC, the series follows Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy.
Is there any official teaser or trailer available?
As stated above, the new episodes have not yet been filmed! As a result, no official teaser or trailer for the upcoming season has been released, and it won’t be published anytime soon, not until the dual strikes reach an agreement. Moreover, it takes a lot of time for such promotional stuff to be released, which usually begins a month or two before the premiere of the new episodes. We’ll have to wait for it for some time because the production of the series now depends on the status of the ongoing strikes, which might take a while to bring the crew and cast back on the sets.
Until then, the beloved fans should check out the fifth season trailer to recap all the events that transpired which followed:
Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis. If he can’t keep up with the young cops and the criminals, he’ll be risking lives, including his own. But if he can use his life experience, determination, and sense of humor to give him an edge, he may just become a success in this new chapter of his life.
Catch up on all the episodes, and let us know what you think of The Rookie being renewed for Season 6 in the comments.