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ABC‘s The Rookie is approaching the end of season 5, and fans still have no idea what the future holds for the procedural series. Will ABC renew The Rookie for season 6? Or will viewers have to say goodbye to John Nolan, Tim Bradford, Lucy Chen, and the rest of the gang during the season 5 finale? Only time will tell, but one actor has high hopes that the story will continue past season 5.

Eric Winter, in character as Tim Bradford in 'The Rookie,' which ABC has yet to renew for season 6, wears his dark blue police uniform.
Eric Winter as Tim Bradford | ABC/Raymond Liu

Has ABC renewed or canceled ‘The Rookie’?

As of the writing of this article, ABC hasn’t renewed The Rookie for season 6. But they haven’t canceled it either, so the show’s future is unknown.

However, it’s important to note that the series is one of the network’s highest-rated dramas. Plus, The Rookie‘s audience totals and ratings were boosted when ABC moved the show to Tuesdays in early 2023. Being paired with its spinoff, The Rookie: Feds, on Tuesday nights has done wonders for The Rookie. And since episodes are made available on Hulu the day after they air, the show gains even more eyeballs via streaming.

So just based on the cold hard facts and numbers alone, The Rookie Season 6 looks like a lock. But in this day and age where networks and streaming services seemingly cancel more series than they renew, we’ll wait until ABC makes an official announcement to put all our eggs in one basket.

Eric Winter is optimistic about ‘The Rookie’ Season 6

Luckily for The Rookie fans, Eric Winter, who plays Tim Bradford, believes that season 6 is all but a guarantee.

Per Good Housekeeping, the actor discussed the chances of a renewal in a cameo for a fan. Winter said, “Right now, our ratings are better than ever. I feel really confident about a season 6. Nothing’s official yet, but I do feel confident, given the way things are going. So, get ready for more Rookie.”

Since the finale of The Rookie Season 5 is just around the corner, we expect ABC to make an official announcement regarding the show’s future soon. And according to Winter, he’s planning on suiting back up as Tim for another set of episodes in the fall. So although fans have been worried about Tim leaving The Rookie, it sounds like Winter isn’t going anywhere.

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How many episodes remain in ‘The Rookie’ Season 5?

The Rookie Season 5 airs its finale on Tuesday, May 2, so ABC will likely announce a season 6 renewal (or possible cancelation) around that time. In the meantime, we have four more episodes of season 5 to look forward to.

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 19, “A Hole in the World,” airs Tuesday, March 28. The upcoming hour focuses on Celina Juarez trying to catch her sister’s killer and a new obstacle for Tim and Lucy. However, the following two episodes’ air dates and plotlines are unknown.

Since the finale airs on May 2, The Rookie will either take another three-week hiatus or two two-week breaks before season 5’s conclusion. But by the time May rolls around, we’ll have all of the answers.

New episodes of The Rookie Season 5 air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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