ABC Doubles Down: The Rookie & Will Trent Renewed for New Seasons

Good news for anyone riding out this weird, never-ending era of police procedurals: ABC just announced it's sticking with two of its audience magnets. Both shows are getting new seasons, which means we're all in for at least another year of crime solving and workplace drama. If you're already hooked (or just need more background TV to fold laundry to), here's what's coming up.

The Shows Getting Another Lap

First up: The Rookie is coming back for its ninth season. If you've missed the premise, Nathan Fillion stars as a guy named John Nolan, who joins the LAPD in his forties—yes, he's literally the oldest rookie on the force. That's the entire hook, and for some reason, it works. Apparently being a middle-aged cop with a sense of humor never gets old, at least for network TV.

The other show returning is Will Trent. Ramón Rodríguez plays the lead (that'd be Will Trent), a special agent working at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. His thing? He's got a ‘unique perspective’—which mostly means he approaches cases differently, and also solves them at a rate nobody else can touch. Not exactly a radical idea for a TV detective, but viewers seem to be eating it up.

When Can You Expect the Next Episodes?

Both current seasons clock in at 18 episodes and are wrapping things up in the first week of May. So, expect those dramatic finales and then...the long wait until the next round, whenever network TV schedules get it together.

Who's Who – Main Cast Rundown

• The Rookie: Nathan Fillion (John Nolan), Mekia Cox (Nyla Harper), Alyssa Diaz (Angela Lopez), Richard T. Jones (Sergeant Wade Grey), Melissa O'Neil (Lucy Chen), Eric Winter (Tim Bradford), Jenna Dewan (Bailey Nune), Shawn Ashmore (Wesley Evers), Lisseth Chavez (Celina Juarez)
• Will Trent: Ramón Rodríguez (Will Trent), Erika Christensen (Angie Polaski), Iantha Richardson (Faith Mitchell), Jake McLaughlin (Michael Ormewood), Sonja Sohn (Amanda Wagner)

What Else Is on the ABC Menu?

These newer renewals are joining already picked-up runs for Grey's Anatomy (because yes, that show will probably outlast all of us), 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville, High Potential, and Abbott Elementary. This is ABC sticking with what works rather than upending the lineup—no surprises there.

Not Exactly Shocking—But Here's the Deal

To be honest, these renewals aren't that wild. Both The Rookie and Will Trent do solid numbers for ABC, even if neither one is reinventing the TV wheel. If you're a fan, congrats—you're getting more of what you want. And if you're not tuning in already, well, clearly plenty of people are.

'Will Trent and The Rookie continue to be audience favorites for us,' ABC execs basically said (paraphrased, because they're never going to say anything scandalous in a press release).

Bottom line: if you're looking for something new and wild, maybe keep scrolling. But if your comfort show involves crime scenes, banter, and life lessons from actors who've been doing this for a decade, ABC's lineup isn't changing anytime soon.