Even though it’s a long wait forThe Rookieseason 8 andWill Trentseason 4 premiere, fans can pass the time by checking out ABC’s other critically acclaimed police procedurals. Unfortunately,the network is holding bothThe RookieandWill Trentfor midseasonfor their 2025–2026 programming schedule. That means that their new seasons won’t premiere until early 2026.
BothThe Rookieseason 8 andWill Trentseason 4 are expected to have 18 episodes each, which will reportedly air weekly with little to no expectations, similar to their previous seasons.
It will have been around eight months since ABC released thefinales ofThe Rookieseason 7andWill Trentseason 3. While the network hasn’t announced an official date for their upcoming premieres, one can assume thatthey’re coming in January 2026, based onThe Rookieseason 7 andWill Trentseason 3’s debuts.In the meantime, fans can watch similar shows.
8High Potential
2024–Present
If you’re searching for a short binge whilewaiting forThe Rookieseason 8andWill Trentseason 4, look no further than ABC’s new seriesHigh Potential. It only has 13 episodes and wasone of the biggest shows of the 2024–2025 season.There’s a reason why it has garnered so much praise, making it a must-watch for any fan of police procedurals.
High Potentialcenters around Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan Gillory,a nighttime cleaner for the LAPD. One night, she accidentally stumbles upon a case and uses her abilities as an HPI (high potential intellectual) to help solve it. Afterward, Morgan is rewarded with an offer to serve as a consultant for the LAPD, and she accepts.
High Potentialis certainly worth watching as it not only explores intriguing cases, but it also features an overarching mystery that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Plus, therelease date forHigh Potentialseason 2is just around the corner.Morgan and co. are set to return on Tuesday, September 16, at 10 pm ET on ABC.
7NYPD Blue
1993–2005
NYPD Blueis simply a classic and is arguably one of (if notthe)best cop shows of all time. And it just so happened to have aired on ABC.NYPD Bluepremiered in 1993 and ran for 12 seasonsand 261 episodes, ending in 2005. At the time, it was ABC’s longest-running primetime one-hour drama series, butGrey’s Anatomylater broke its record.
Given its length,NYPD Bluewill serve as thebest replacement forThe RookieandWill Trentduring their respective hiatuses. Its 261 episodes are sure to make the time waiting forThe RookieandWill Trentgo faster. It also doesn’t hurt thatNYPD Blueis a great show and a must-watch for any fan of police procedural TV series.
NYPD Bluehas been praised for its accuracy regarding law enforcement and its tendency to push boundaries, unwilling to shy away from important and serious subject matters. Essentially,NYPD Bluewas groundbreaking while it was airingand went on to inspire several other cop series. If it weren’t forNYPD Blue, the landscape of the police procedural genre would look very different today.
69-1-1
2018–Present
While9-1-1isn’t strictly a police procedural,it is a procedural that features police officers. Yes, the ABC series mostly revolves around the firefighters and paramedics of Station 118, but one of9-1-1’s most important characters(Athena Grant, played by Angela Bassett) is a cop. So, it earns an easy spot on this list, especially because it’s still on the air.
9-1-1season 9 will premiere on Thursday, October 9, at 8 pm ET on ABC.
9-1-1is heading into its ninth season, meaning fans ofThe RookieandWill Trentwill have a lot of episodes to catch up on while waiting for the two cop shows.The procedural drama has released 124 episodesas of the writing of this article. Then,9-1-1will produce even more once it returns with season 9 in the fall of 2025.
5Castle
2009–2016
Castleis the perfect police procedural to watchwhile waiting forThe Rookieseason 8, specifically. It’ll also satisfyWill Trentfans, butCastlehas the advantage of having Nathan Fillion,who also stars inThe Rookie. If viewers love his newer show, they’ll appreciate his older one. Fillion plays a completely different character inCastle, but it fits the bill nonetheless.
InCastle, Fillion portrays the titular character. He’s a crime writer who (similar toHigh Potential’s Morgan) becomes a consultant to the NYPD when a serial killer brings one of his books to life. Well, Castle is supposed to only be shadowing Detective Kate Beckett and her team while prepping his next novel, but he gets more involved than anyone thought (or wanted).
Castleran for eight seasons and 173 episodes,meaning it’s another long binge. The good news is thatThe Rookieseason 8 andWill Trentseason 4 won’t premiereuntil 2026, giving fans more than enough time to watch the entirety ofCastlebefore their returns.
4Columbo
1968–1978, 1989–2003
Just likeNYPD Blue,Columbois a classic police procedural series that must be seen. The crime dramafollows Peter Falk as Lieutenant Frank Columbo,an LAPD homicide detective and arguably one ofthe greatest network TV cops. Many regard Columbo as the best detective to ever grace the small screen, and no one will ever come close.
NBC releasedColumbo’s first pilot in 1968, but its first season wouldn’t air until 1971. Then, it ran for seven seasons on the network before coming to an end in 1978. Eleven years later, though, ABC revivedColumbo, and it ultimately concluded (for good this time) in 2003. Overall,Columboreleased 10 seasons and 69 episodes.
Columbois unlike most police procedurals on network TV. Most cop shows are structured as “whodunits,” whereasColumbocan be described as a “howcatchem.“Basically, its episodes begin with the audience knowing the criminal’s identity and follow with Lieutenant Columbo trying to solve the case, accompanied by his trademark tan raincoat, Peugeot 403 car, and his “just one more thing” catchphrase.
3Moonlighting
1985–1989
Even though ABC doesn’t classifyThe RookieorWill Trentas comedies, they certainly have their fair share of humor (more soThe RookiethanWill Trent). But the two aren’t the first police procedural comedies, asMoonlightingexists. It’s consideredTV’s first successful dramedy (aka comedy drama)and went on to influence many other shows.
Moonlightingfollows Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd’s characters, who run a private detective agency, solving cases in every episode. The1980s ABC TV series ran for five seasons and 67 episodes,ultimately ending in 1989. Given that it’s neither short nor long,Moonlightingmight just be exactly whatThe RookieandWill Trentfans need to get them through this long hiatus.
2Stumptown
2019–2020
On the other hand,Stumptownis a quick binge.However, unlikeHigh Potential, it didn’t last past its first season, despite how good it was. The ABC crime drama, consisting of 18 episodes, centers around Cobie Smulders' Dex Parios, a Marine veteran turned private investigator.Stumptownfeatures Dex working through her personal problems while also trying to distract herself with her work.
Stumptownhas a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with its Critics Consensus reading, “Simple, but strong,Stumptownmoves at a brisk pace and packs a serious punch thanks in large part to Cobie Smulders' star-making performance.”
Stumptownis an underrated detective showthat should have gotten a second season. In fact, it technically did.ABC renewedStumptownfor season 2 in May 2020, but the network reversed the decisiona few months later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we’ll never get to see Dex’s full story. However, what we still have of it is pretty great.
1Twin Peaks
1990–1991, 2017
Even if someone doesn’twatchThe RookieorWill Trent,Twin Peaksis a must-watch for any TV lover.David Lynch’s ABC surrealist mystery-horror drama chronicles FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper’s (played by Kyle MacLachlan) investigation into Laura Palmer’s (played by Sheryl Lee) death. While that’s only a simple description,Twin Peaksis an innovative police procedural that begs to be seen.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a prequel film, premiered in 1992 and received widespread acclaim years after its release.
Twin Peaksran for two seasons and 30 episodes in the early ’90s on ABC. Almost three decades later, it returned with a third season on Showtime. Ultimately,every work in theTwin Peaksfranchise is eliteand will certainly take fans' minds off ofThe RookieandWill Trentwhile waiting for their respective new seasons.
