ABC Sets Winter 2027 Premieres for Will Trent, The Rookie, Idol
Will Trent and High Potential both return on January 5, and The Rookie Season 9 shares its January 6 slot with spinoff The Rookie: North.
ABC unveiled its winter 2027 midseason premiere schedule, setting return dates for Will Trent, High Potential, Shifting Gears, The Rookie, Abbott Elementary, American Idol and The Bachelor, according to Deadline.
Will Trent opens Season 5 on Tuesday, January 5, and High Potential returns for Season 3 the same night, followed by the series premiere of Surviving a Scandal. The next evening, Wednesday, January 6, brings a two-episode opener for Shifting Gears Season 3, while The Rookie Season 9 and the new spinoff The Rookie: North both debut that night.
Thursday, January 7 is given over to midseason premieres of 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville and Grey's Anatomy. Abbott Elementary returns for Season 6 on Wednesday, January 13, and Celebrity Jeopardy! launches Season 5 on Friday, January 29.
American Idol gets a two-step rollout: the special American Idol at 25, carrying a working title, airs Monday, February 1, before the show's 25th season premieres Monday, February 8. The Bachelor returns for Season 30 on Sunday, March 21, the same night as the Season 18 premiere of What Would You Do?.
ABC also has its awards and sports slate set for the stretch, with the Grammy Awards on February 7, Super Bowl LXI on February 14 and the Oscars on March 14.
Background
ABC said in October 2026 that Season 9 of The Rookie and The Rookie: North would premiere on January 6. The Bachelor's Season 30 was ordered in June 2025, three months after two top showrunners exited amid allegations of a toxic workplace, and the network said in April 2026 that the show would return in 2027. The Bachelor last aired a new installment in early 2025.
Quick answers
When does The Rookie Season 9 premiere?
The Rookie Season 9 premieres Wednesday, January 6, alongside the new spinoff The Rookie: North.
When does American Idol Season 25 start?
American Idol's 25th season premieres Monday, February 8, after the special American Idol at 25 airs Monday, February 1.
When does The Bachelor return?
The Bachelor Season 30 premieres Sunday, March 21, the same night as What Would You Do? Season 18.