Why was there no new episode of The Rookie season 7 tonight (Mar 4 , 2025)? Explained

ABC's police procedural drama The Rookie season 7 is having a good run this year, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats with intense cases and unexpected personal storylines. The latest season premiered on January 7, 2025, and continues to follow the lives of LAPD officers central to the show.

The series has had an uninterrupted run since its season premiere, airing new episodes every Tuesday on ABC. The first midseason hiatus of The Rookie season 7 came this week, and the show returns on March 11, 2025, with a fresh episode. This scheduling change is due to President Trump's welcome address to a joint session of Congress, which started at 9 pm ET.

According to ScreenRant, the season is slated for 18 episodes, although there is no official confirmation yet. Along with the main cast led by Nathan Fillion, new additions this season are Deric Augustine as Miles Penn, Patrick Keleher as Seth Ridley, and Ivan Hernandez as K. Graham.

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The Rookie season 7 episode 9 was postponed due to President Trump's address

As stated above, The Rookie season 7 episode 9, The Kiss, was originally scheduled to air on March 4, 2025. However, ABC adjusted its programming to accommodate President Donald Trump's primetime address to a joint session of Congress and the nation. The speech, The Renewal of the American Dream, started at 9 p.m. ET and lasted more than 90 minutes.

This scheduling change is a common practice for networks, as they often broadcast significant political events, ensuring viewers have live access to national addresses. Other major channels like CBS, Fox, and NBC, also altered the time of their weekly shows to accommodate the President's speech.

Although this is the first break this season, fans can expect more short hiatuses in the coming months due to multiple reasons. Apart from major events and special programming, networks also strategically time episodes to maximize ratings and ad revenue.

The schedule change also helps in making sure that the season lasts till May, which is the typical month for season finales. For now, viewers can look forward to the new episode releasing next week.

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The Rookie season 7 returns on March 11, 2025

As stated above, The Rookie Season 7 episode 9 will be released on ABC on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9 pm Eastern Standard Time. The logline for the upcoming episode titled The Kiss reads,

“The team mobilizes to locate a suspect after a deadly series of events affects one of their own. Meanwhile, Celina takes on her first case with Bailey’s help.”

After episode 8 ended with James and Kylie being shot, the trailer for episode 9 hints at the chaos in the aftermath of their kiss. It is established in the previous episode that Kylie was involved with gang members in the past, and Lopez's dialogue, "We confirmed that the shooter is a member of 6th Street Devils," hints that her personal ties have a part to play in the shooting.

However, Nyla is also considered a suspect in the case, as Wesley points out that her jealousy over the kiss could also be the motivation for the crime. As the LAPD team navigates the case, Nyla's character will be put to the test in The Rookie season 7 episode 9. Speaking with TV Insider in an interview dated February 4, 2025, Mekia Cox talked about James and Nyla's relationship. She said,

“I think Nyla reacts. She reacts and she reacts harshly sometimes, but it is definitely a reaction to the conflict and it’s her fault. She’s the one who said, let’s get married. But I think she’s questioning everything in that moment and she’s frustrated and she knows that he’s frustrated as well."

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Stay tuned for more updates on The Rookie season 7.