The much-anticipated final season of police procedural drama The Rookie premiered on Sunday, September 25, at 10 PM EST (7 PM PST). Unfortunately, geographic restrictions meant that the show was — and continues to be — unavailable in numerous countries. This article will tell you how to watch The Rookie season 5 online using a virtual private network (VPN).
Please note that we only recommend official sources for watching The Rookie season 5. Unlicensed streams often suffer from low resolution, lag, buffering, and the risk of being taken offline for copyright infringement. For a high-quality, stress-free streaming experience of The Rookie season 5, it’s best to stick with the official sources listed below.
Season 5 of The Rookie is shown exclusively on region-locked platforms. If you plan to watch it while traveling abroad via your usual streaming service, you’ll need to use a VPN.
How to watch The Rookie season 5 abroad with a VPN
The streaming platforms showing The Rookie season 5 use your IP address to identify your location. If you’re in another country, the content will be geo-blocked. However, a VPN lets you change your IP address and spoof your location, unblocking The Rookie season 5 from anywhere in the world.
Here’s how to watch The Rookie season 5 online from anywhere:
- Sign up with a reputable VPN provider. We recommend NordVPN, although we can also recommend Surfshark and ExpressVPN as two reliable alternatives.
- Next, download one of the VPN’s apps or, if you prefer, a browser extension. Be sure to check that you’re installing the correct app version for your device.
- Open the VPN app and connect to a server in the US. This is how you get a US IP address to unblock ABC, even if you’re traveling abroad.
- Navigate to ABC and sign in via your TV provider to watch live TV and the latest episodes. Alternatively, sign up with a TV streaming service (more on these later).
- All ABC content, including its live streams, should be unblocked in your location. If not, we recommend you clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
The Rookie season 5 will air live on ABC. That’s why you should test your VPN with ABC before the season 5 premiere. If you encounter any issues, you’ll have time to contact your VPN’s customer support.
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How to watch The Rookie season 5 on US TV
The Rookie season 5 will premiere on its original network, ABC, on Sunday, September 25. There are a couple of ways in which you can watch online. The first is by signing in via your US cable TV provider. Simply go to the ABC website or app and enter your cable TV login details. This is typically an email address or username and password. Note that you can watch ABC episodes one week after they premiere without signing in.
Don’t have cable TV? The good news is that you can still live stream ABC and The Rookie season 5 cable-free. To do this, you’ll need to sign up with a TV streaming service. The following options include ABC in their packages: FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV ($69.99 USD per month), and YouTube TV ($64.99 USD a month) and include free trials.
The trouble with ABC and the aforementioned TV streaming services is that they’re only available in the US. This means that you need a US IP address to watch. If you’re traveling abroad, you can get one by using a VPN to connect to a server in the US. Once connected, all content should be unblocked and available to access as usual. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out with ABC risk-free.
Where else can I watch The Rookie Season 5?
Canada
Fortunately, The Rookie season 5 will also be broadcast in Canada from September 25. However, as it’s on CTV, which doesn’t support any over-the-top services, you’ll need a cable TV subscription. You can then watch online via the CTV Go app. If you don’t have cable TV, you should be able to stream The Rookie season 5 on Crave (the first three seasons are already available on the streaming service). However, there has not yet been word on a broadcast date so you may have to wait.
You may already have access to Crave via your TV provider. If not, the price of a subscription starts from $9.99 CAD per month. A 7-day free trial is available for first-time subscribers. Note that accessing CTV Go and Crave requires a Canadian IP address. To get one, you’ll need to connect to a VPN server in Canada.
UK
If you’re in the UK, you can watch The Rookie on Sky Witness. However, you’ll have to wait a little longer because season 5 won’t be available until after its initial US airing on ABC. You may already have access to Sky Witness if you have a Sky TV subscription. In this case, you’ll be able to watch online (when it becomes available) via the Sky Go app.
You don’t need to commit to a Sky TV contract to watch Sky Witness. The channel is also available via Now, an online TV streaming service. You can live stream several channels with the Entertainment Pass, including Sky Witness. This costs £9.99 per month (currently £4.99 a month for the first three months) and is cancellable at any time. There’s also a seven-day free trial.
Sky TV and Now is only available in the UK. As such, you’ll find their content to be geo-blocked abroad. You can get around this by connecting to a VPN server in a UK city. Once you’ve done this and obtained a UK IP address, you’re all set.
What can we expect from The Rookie Season 5?
Season 4 of The Rookie left fans on the edge of their seats after Tim and Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) took things to the next level in their relationship. Whether the relationship is legit or not isn’t known yet, but we know they’re posing as a couple for an undercover operation, so season 5 will reveal the truth. Aside from that love interest, we’re hoping to see where John Nolan and Bailey’s relationship is headed, whether Nyla will return from maternity leave, and so many more loose ends that need tying up!
Season 5 of The Rookie consists of 22 episodes — the last of which aired on May 2, 2023.
Which cast members returned for The Rookie season 5?
The majority of the cast returned for season 5 of The Rookie. This included the following key cast members:
- Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
- Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
- Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey
- Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
- Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen
- Eric Winter as Tim Bradford
- Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune
- Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers
- Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen
Where is The Rookie filmed?
The Rookie series, portraying the life and challenges of John Nolan, is filmed in Los Angeles. The city’s diverse locations provide a fitting backdrop for the series, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the plan and execution of each episode’s storyline, including the character “Celina” and other key elements.
Best episodes of The Rookie by IMDB rating
Nineteen episodes of The Rookie have an IMDB score above 8. These are, in descending order:
- S05.E22: Under Siege (IMDB score: 9.1)
- S1.E16: Greenlight (IMDB score: 9.1)
- S2.E10: The Dark Side (IMDB score: 8.6)
- S2.E11: Day of Death (IMDB score: 8.6)
- S1.E8: Time of Death (IMDB score: 8.6)
- S1.E20: Free Fall (IMDB score: 8.6)
- S2.E8: Clean Cut (IMDB score: 8.6)
- S1.E9: Standoff (IMDB score: 8.5)
- S2.E19: The Q Word (IMDB score: 8.4)
- S4.E6: Poetic Justice (IMDB score: 8.4)
- S1.E15: Manhunt (IMDB score: 8.4)
- S2.E18: Under the Gun (IMDB score: 8.3)
- S3.E14: Threshold (IMDB score: 8.3)
- S1.E14: Plain Clothes Day (IMDB score: 8.3)
- S1.E10: Flesh and Blood (IMDB score: 8.2)
- S1.E19: The Checklist (IMDB score: 8.2)
- S2.E1: Impact (IMDB score: 8.1)
- S2.E4: Warriors and Guardians (IMDB score: 8.1)
- S5.E1: Double Down (IMDB score: 8.1)
Where can I watch The Rookie: Feds?
There is no sixth season of The Rookie. However, fans of The Rookie season 5 can get more of the same — but with a different lead character — in the spin-off show, The Rookie: Feds. The show involves a former school counsellor — Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark — joining the FBI as a special agent at the age of 48.
We were introduced to Simone Clark in series 4 of The Rookie, when Nathan Fillion’s character was investigating a terror attack that involve one of her former students. Season 1 of The Rookie: Feds is available on Now TV and streaming platforms that include ABC in their packages.
