ABC to Swap ‘The Rookie’ for a Different Night to Make Room for New Series

The Rookie is on the move.

Deadline reports that the ABC procedural will be relocating to Mondays at 10 p.m. ET starting Jan. 26.

The move comes on the heels of The Rookie’s Season 8 premiere last week, but it’s not anything to worry about. The Disney-owned network is simply making room for new drama, RJ Decker, which will premiere on Tuesday, March 3 at 10 p.m. ET. The Rookie, meanwhile, will soon be paired with American Idol, which has its season premiere on Jan. 26. While a new night might be hard to deal with, it’s been confirmed that the remaining 15 episodes of Season 8 will air uninterrupted, meaning there will be no breaks between episodes.

Monday marks a new night for The Rookie, which has aired on Tuesdays and Sundays throughout the first seven seasons. If there is a linear ratings dip from the move, that is expected to be made up on streaming, where the series has been getting a chunk of its viewership. Season 8 premiered on Jan. 6 and kicked off with some of the cast in Prague to catch a criminal.

The premiere episode brought in 7.88 million total viewers after three days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and digital platforms. Additionally, based on seven days of views on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, the Season 8 premiere is the series’ biggest premiere on streaming and ranks in the Top 5 ABC premieres of all time.

Starring Scott Speedman, RJ Decker is inspired by the Carl Hiaasen novel Double Whammy. Speedman’s RJ Decker is a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida. He tackles cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with thehelp of his journalist ex, her police detective wife, and a shadowy new benefactor – a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally… or his one-way ticket back to prison.

The series also stars Jaina Lee Ortiz, Bevin Bru, Kevin Rankin, and Adelaide Clemens. RJ Decker is produced by 20^th Television, and is written and executive produced by Rob Doherty. Carl Hiassen, Carl Beverly, and Sarah Timberman also serve as EPs, alongside Paul McGuigan, who is directing. Speedman serves as a producer.

The Rookie will air on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, but after that, the series moves to Monday beginning on Jan. 26 at 10 p.m. ET. RJ Decker premieres on Tuesday, March 3 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.