The Rookie is a police drama inspired by a true story about one of the oldest rookies to graduate from the Los Angeles Police Academy. The series stars Nathan Fillion as the fictional John Nolan, who, in his mid-40s, is 20 years older than most of the freshman cops. After Nolan inadvertently aids the police during a bank robbery in his small Pennsylvania town, he moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career in the police force (the LAPD being one of the few forces that allow new applicants into their 40s). Now a graduate, he and his fellow rookies are ready to face the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the job, and Nolan is determined to succeed in his new career.
The series co-stars Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Eric Winter, Melissa O’Neill, and Richard T. Jones. Read on for more on how to watch The Rookie.
- When Does The Rookie Air: The Rookie airs on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC
- Best Way to Stream Live: You can stream The Rookie live on DIRECTV STREAM. The streaming service provides live ABC and has a 5-day free trial. YouTube TV (free trial) and FuboTV are also ways you can watch ABC.
- Best Way to Watch On Demand: The Rookie will be available to stream one day after airing on Hulu’s Streaming Library (Free Trial).
- How to Watch Past Seasons: Seasons Past episodes of The Rookie are available on Hulu’s Streaming Library. (30 day Free Trial)
Watch New Episodes of The Rookie Live
New episodes of The Rookie airs every Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET on ABC. If you don’t want to wait a day to watch new episodes on Hulu On-Demand, you can use a TV antenna if you live close enough to an ABC broadcast tower. Several live TV services offer local ABC stations in nearly all U.S. markets, many with a free trial so that you can watch The Rookie for free. All free trials auto-renew when they expire, but you will not be billed if you cancel before the trial ends.
Watch The Rookie on DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM offers live ABC streaming in many markets. ABC is available through its “Entertainment” package for $79.99 a month, along with many cable TV and other broadcast networks. DIRECTV STREAM offers ABC in over half the markets in the US.
All DIRECTV STREAM plans include:
- the ability to watch on 20 devices at the same time
- a cloud-based DVR
- channels like ESPN, AMC, HGTV, Discovery, and more
- supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more
You can try DIRECTV STREAM by signing up for this 5-day free trial. There is no contract, and you can cancel at any time.
How Much: $79.99 per month through the “Entertainment” package. For more information, check out our review of DIRECTV STREAM.
Watch The Rookie on Hulu
Hulu offers live ABC in nearly all US markets and cable TV and broadcast networks. Therefore, you can watch The Rookie as it airs on ABC. To see if live ABC is available in your area, you can use this tool: Hulu Live TV Channels by Zip code.
Hulu Live TV costs $76.99 per month. Hulu Live TV includes the following features:
- Discovery and 60+ other channels, including local network channels.
- The price includes a subscription to ESPN+ and Disney+
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
- Watch on two screens at once. (Upgrades available)
- Comes with six customizable profiles
- Includes entire Hulu streaming library
- Supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more.
How Much: Hulu + Live TV costs $76.99 per month.
Watch The Rookie On-Demand
If you can wait a day, Hulu’s more affordable on-demand service has the special available on-demand. You have to wait a day, but the on-demand service starts at only $7.99 per month and offers a 30-day free trial. Hulu is also the place to find season 1 on demand.
How Much: The base package for live TV starts at $76.99 per month. Hulu on-demand starts at $7.99 per month with ads. You can go ad-free for $17.99 per month.
Hulu also carries all past seasons in its streaming library, so you can catch up on seasons 1 – 4 at any time.
Watch The Rookie on YouTube TV
YouTube TV is another great option for watching The Rookie live. YouTube TV offers live ABC with its streaming service in nearly ALL markets in the US. The only market where YouTube TV doesn’t offer ABC is the Rochester-Mason City-Austin market, which covers parts of Minnesota and Iowa. (YouTube TV does offer ABC in Rochester, NY, and Austin, TX.)
YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and more. Be sure to check out our review of YouTube TV for more information. You can sign up for their free trial.
How Much: $72.99 per month.
Watch The Rookie on fuboTV
FuboTV is a streaming service that offers live TV channels over the internet, making it a decent alternative to cable TV. While FuboTV initially catered to sports fans, they have expanded their channel roster to include major networks like AMC, ESPN, USA, and much more. FuboTV also offers live local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC broadcasts in many parts of the country, so it is a great way to watch The Rookie.
You can check out FuboTV here. Fubo TV supports the following streaming devices:
- Android smartphones
- Android tablets
- iPhone
- iPad
- Apple TV (4th Generation only)
- Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
- Roku
- Chromecast
For more information on FuboTV features, please see our Fubo TV review.
How Much: FuboTV costs $74.99.