Why ‘The Rookie’ Isn’t New This Week

Eric Winter as Tim Bradford and Nathan Fillion as John Nolan — 'The Rookie' Season 6 Episode 4
Disney / Raymond Liu

The Rookie left fans in a somewhat cruel place for a few weeks, with the last new episode on April 9 ending with heartbreak and the next new one not on until April 30.

ABC will be airing reruns for the next two Tuesdays, on April 16 and 23. Like other shows, due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes over the summer of 2023, The Rookie kicked off its current season later than usual (in February vs. September), and it will be a shortened one. Usually, during the course of a season, there are some weeks without episodes, with production ongoing. Such could be the case here. But this also gives you the chance to catch up on some of this season’s episodes with reruns.

On April 16, ABC will be re-airing Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey’s (Jenna Dewan) honeymoon episode, “Trouble in Paradise,” the third of the current season. Their dream vacation turns into a nightmare—and an active crime scene—that leads to them getting some help from his coworkers. Plus, Tim (Eric Winter) and Celina (Lisseth Chavez) partner up to uncover the identity of a Jane Doe.

Then, on April 23, is the re-airing of Episode 4, “Training Day,” in which Aaron (Tru Valentino) returns to work after the assault and is tasked with a series of high-stress cases to determine whether he’s ready to work. Plus, the team investigates a homicide case with a potential tie to the pentagram killer.

The Rookie left off with its sixth season, “Secrets and Lies,” which saw Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) confront Tim about what he’d been hiding from her and ended with him breaking up with her. “You deserve so much better. That’s why I’m walking away,” he told her. That hurt, and we can only hope that in the long run, this makes for a stronger Chenford relationship.

The next new episode is “Crushed”—we doubt it’s titled that just because it’s how Chenford fans are feeling right now—on April 30. The promo focuses on the fallout of Tim and Lucy’s breakup, and the synopsis, now out, reveals what else to expect in the hour: “When two teenagers go missing, it is up to the entire team to find the girls and uncover the truth about their disappearance. Meanwhile, Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) and Harper (Mekia Cox) are on a different kind of investigation — the search for the perfect nanny.”

And the good news is that The Rookie fans now know that they don’t have to worry about possibly counting down the number of episodes left: ABC has renewed the drama for a seventh season.

What are you hoping to see in the remaining Season 6 episodes? Let us know in the comments section, below.

The Rookie, New Episodes Return, Tuesday, April 30, 9/8c, ABC