‘The Rookie’ Season 8 Finale Surges to Over 9 Million Total Viewers

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“The Rookie” Season 8 Finale (5/4/26)

• “The Rookie” concluded its remarkable Season 8 on a high note, growing three weeks in a row and surging to 9.25 million Total Viewers, topping its Season 7 finale (+4%; vs. 8.93 million on 5/13/25) and earning its biggest audience in over three months (since 1/26/26), after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
• Setting new records with its exceptional momentum this season, “The Rookie” finale earned an all-time streaming high for the series based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
• Among Adults 18-49, “The Rookie” shot to a season high with a 2.1 rating over seven days.
• “The Rookie” season finale was the No. 1 most social scripted program of the night and the No. 2 most social entertainment program overall, behind only ABC’s “American Idol” on 5/4/26. In addition, #TheRookie was a Top 10 trending topic on X in the U.S. following its East Coast airing.

Season To Date Highlights 

• The veteran drama exploded this year, growing for the 4th consecutive season in both Total Viewers (9.04 million vs. 8.19 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.05 rating vs. 1.59 rating) over the 21/22 season, based on multiplatform viewing over seven days on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
• The Season 8 opener (9.35 million Total Viewers on 1/6/26) earned the show’s best multiplatform audience for a premiere in over six years (since 9/29/19). It also scored the best premiere episode ever for the series on streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
• “The Rookie” is the No. 1 broadcast drama among Adults 18-34 and the No. 1 series overall among Teens 12-17, based on Nielsen’s competitive multiplatform measurement over seven days.*

“The Rookie” will return with season 9 launching on ABC in 2027, along with the recently ordered “The Rookie: North,” starring Jay Ellis.

Source: Nielsen National Live+7 Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings and ABC Multiplatform+7 Day Data for 5/4/26.
24/25 based on Big Data Plus Panel, while prior years are panel-only. Talkwalker SCR.  

*Source: Cross Platform analysis of Nielsen Linear + SCR data based on 7 days of viewing from the linear air date and streaming FSD. Includes pre-premieres. Broadcast original series only. Excludes, sports, specials, news and repeats. Linear based on Nielsen’s Updated Big Data Plus Panel Sample (9/14/25-5/3/26).

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