The highly anticipated eighth season of police procedural drama The Rookie premiered on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 22:00 ET / PT on ABC. There’ll be 18 episodes in total, with a new one airing each week, meaning the series will end some time in May. While fans are eager to see Nathan Fillion return as John Nolan, geographic restrictions mean the show remains unavailable in many countries. Don’t worry – this guide will show you how to watch The Rookie season 8 online from anywhere using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A quick note on streaming sources: we only recommend official, licensed platforms for watching The Rookie season 8. While unauthorized streams exist, they typically offer poor video quality, suffer from constant buffering, and risk sudden removal due to copyright violations. For the best viewing experience of The Rookie season 8, stick with the legitimate sources we’ve listed below.
Season 8 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 8 abroad with a VPN
The streaming platforms showing The Rookie season eight 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 8 from anywhere in the world.
Here’s how to watch The Rookie season 8 online from anywhere:
- Sign up with a reputable VPN provider. We recommend NordVPN, although we can also recommend Surfshark and Total VPN 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 8 will air live on ABC. That’s why you should test your VPN with ABC before the season 8 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 8 on US TV
The Rookie‘s eighth season will air on ABC, the same as it has every year. The premiere will be broadcast at 22:00 ET / PT on January 6, with another episode releasing at the same time every week.
There are a couple of ways you can watch it 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 8 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 ($73.99 USD per month), Hulu with Live TV ($89.99 USD per month), and YouTube TV ($82.99 USD per 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.
Read our list of the best VPNs for watching ABC anywhere, or check out the top two here:
NordVPN is our top choice for accessing The Rookie season 8 from outside its normal viewing areas. The provider has servers in 160+ locations around the globe. The provider delivers fast, well-protected connections from its diskless servers. NordVPN offers app support for most popular streaming-capable devices, and allows you to connect up to 10 devices at once to its servers.
NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out with ABC risk-free.
Surfshark is a budget-priced VPN service that offers top-notch online protection at a reasonable price. The provider has diskless servers in more than 100 countries around the globe, providing well-protected access to content around the globe, including the Rookie Season 8. The provider offers apps for most popular devices, and offers a no-risk 30-day money-back guarantee.
Where else can I watch The Rookie Season 8?
Canada
Canadian viewers can catch The Rookie season 8 through multiple official channels starting January 7, 2026 CTV will broadcast new episodes the day after they air in the US, making it the go-to choice for watching in near real-time. Viewers can watch on traditional cable TV, stream through CTV.ca, or use the CTV app with their cable TV credentials.
But what if you don’t have cable TV? In that case, you can simply sign up for Disney Plus ($8.99 per month). Unfortunately, there isn’t any kind of free trial but on the plus side, new episodes of The Rookie will be added shortly after they’re shown on CTV.
If you’re just looking to catch up on older episodes, your best bet is Paramount+. There’s a seven day free trial, after which this service costs $8.99 CAD per month. It currently offers the first six seasons of The Rookie, with the seventh season only available on Crave and Disney Plus.
Additional viewing options include:
- CTV: Live broadcast, plus streaming via CTV.ca and the CTV app (requires cable login)
- Crave: Complete series access, including previous seasons • Prime Video: Available through the Paramount Plus channel (up to season 5, with newer seasons added periodically)
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 be a little behind because season 8 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.
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.
The Rookie Season 8: Everything you need to know
Cast updates
Who has returned for Season 8?
The core cast remains largely intact, with these familiar faces:
- Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
- Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
- Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
- Eric Winter as Tim Bradford
- Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen
Notable Departure: Patrick Keleher (Seth Ridley) did not return for Season 8.
Major storylines
What can viewers expect in Season 8?
The new season promises several compelling storylines:
- An international operation to capture terrorists in Prague
- Tim and Lucy’s relationship following the events of the season 7 finale
- Monica is back and working with the team, fully immune from any legal consequences
Season format
How many episodes does Season 8 have?
The Rookie season 8 will have 18 episodes in total, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes.
Season 7 recap
What should I remember from the previous season?
Season seven saw the LAPD chasing Oscar Hutchinson, just narrowly letting him escape. There was also Tim’s big proposal, Lucy’s promotion to sergeant, and a fan-favorite episode which had the team dealing with both a wildfire and a serial killer.
