Fall TV premiere dates 2025: What’s coming, what’s waiting, and what’s missing
Familiar faces take their slots
NBC hasn’t strayed from its proven recipe. Law & Order is back for Season 25 on Thursday, October 2, immediately followed by SVU. The Chicago block (Med, Fire, P.D.) rolls in the night before, October 1, like clockwork.
CBS is doing the same: NCIS Season 23 premieres Monday, September 29, with NCIS: Hawai’i sticking close behind. FBI and its spinoffs are locked for Tuesday, September 30. Thursdays belong to Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, taking over from Young Sheldon, starting October 2.
ABC leads with Grey’s Anatomy on October 9, its 22nd season somehow still pulling in numbers. Abbott Elementary returns October 1, while new drama Doctor Odyssey launches October 7 to see if viewers have room for yet another hospital on their DVR.
Fresh bets on new dramas
NBC is trying to carve out Mondays with The Hunting Party, premiering October 6. CBS is throwing Judgment Day into the Sunday mix on October 5. Fox, never one to shy from big-concept procedurals, kicks off Rescue: NYC on October 3. All three networks are hoping for the next This Is Us or 911—but history tells us most will flame out by spring.
The missing rookie
Then there’s ABC’s Tuesday hole. The Rookie won’t be back until mid-season 2026. That’s right: Nathan Fillion is benched until January at the earliest. The upside is that the show will return with a full 18-episode run, uninterrupted. Given how strong its storytelling has been lately, the delay should mean a tighter season. Still, it’s hard not to be disappointed when one of ABC’s most reliable crowd-pleasers is MIA this fall.
This year’s fall slate feels steady, even safe. The networks know viewers still want their weekly dose of Law & Order crossovers and NCIS investigations while hoping at least one new drama sticks. The real frustration comes from The Rookie’s absence, which leaves ABC’s schedule looking lighter than usual. But if the payoff is a polished, back-to-basics season in 2026, fans will wait it out. Just—reluctantly.
Source(s)
- NBC Fall 2025 schedule – NBC Press Release
- CBS Fall 2025 schedule – CBS Press Release
- ABC Fall 2025 schedule – TV Insider
- The Rookie Season 8 delay – Good Housekeeping
- The Rookie midseason confirmation – Collider
