ABC’s Tuesday night schedule withThe Rookiepaired with another successful show is hurting the procedural. WithThe Rookiebeing a fan-favorite that’s grown its audience through the years, the show’s unique spin on the standard procedural creates some issues.
Typically, programming lineups bring together similar shows, despite rarely being about the same topics. Procedurals go with procedurals, like theNCISfranchise, and sitcoms go with sitcoms. Despite that being the rule of thumb, it doesn’t always take into account the fact thatsome shows that are in the same genre don’t necessarily have the same tone.
WhileThe Rookieis typically a morelight-hearted Network TV proceduralthat carries more humor and hijinks than drama, the other shows on Tuesday nights don’t always follow suit.. WithThe Rookiehaving been paired with this series for the majority of its last season, both shows suffered.
Will Trent & The Rookie Air During A Tuesday Night Block
They Both Premiered Mid-Season
As two mid-season shows,The RookieandWill Trentboth came back for their most recent seasons in January 2025, months afterthe premiere ofHigh Potential.For the first few weeks of the season, the schedule sawWill Trentat 8 p.m., followed byHigh Potentialat 9 p.m andThe Rookieat 10 p.m. untilHigh Potential’sFebruary finale.
OnceHigh Potentialseason 1 ended,The Rookiewas bumped up to the 9 p.m. slot, leaving the Tuesday night schedule with it back-to-back withWill Trent. While this truncated the evening for viewers, it created an entirely different problem.The differences in tone betweenWill TrentandThe Rookiehad never been more obviousuntil they were aired concurrently.
Will Trent Has A Much Darker Tone Than The Rookie
The More Serialized Drama Strays Dark
Will Trent’stone has always been darkerand somewhat more serious thanThe Rookie’s. Throughout the three years of the series,Will Trenthas been blunt about crimeand dives into the most difficult parts of its characters' psyches. The show often has moments of levity to break up the drama, and it doesn’t pull its punches.
The tone ofThe Rookieis different by design. The series is often one that goes for a laugh,using recurring guest stars like Flula Borgand show-specific formats, like the popular true-crime documentary episodesto blend the procedural format with more creative storytelling. Unfortunately,the darkness ofWill Trentand the light ofThe Rookiedon’t always blend well.
Because Of The Tonal Shift, The Rookie Clashes With Will Trent
It’s Tough To Watch The Shows Back To Back
Although sometimes the switch from a show with a darker tone to one with a lighter aura can feel natural, when it comes toWill Trenttransitioning intoThe Rookie, it feels jarring.Will Trentoften has such gut-punching, powerful moments, especially ending an episode,that it can feel shocking to move into the light-hearted energy ofThe Rookieimmediately.
Knowing thatThe RookieandWill Trentaren’t always necessarily paired, ABC should keep in mind that they don’t always mesh. While bothWill TrentandThe Rookiedeserve their slots, one may need to move to keep both going.
Will Trent
Cast
Will Trent is a crime drama series that follows special agent Will Trent, who was abandoned at birth and raised in Atlanta’s foster care system. He becomes a dedicated agent with the highest clearance rate, driven by his experiences to ensure others do not suffer as he did.
The Rookie
The Rookie follows John Nolan, a small-town man who embarks on a new career as an LAPD officer after a life-changing event. As the force’s oldest rookie, Nolan faces skepticism from superiors who view his pursuit as a midlife crisis.
