Grey's Anatomy fans finally get to see Scott Speedman lead his new ABC series, RJ Decker, but the show's premiere date is causing a scheduling shift for The Rookie. ABC confirmed that RJ Decker will premiere Tuesday, March 3, during the 10 p.m. time slot. The new show will round out the Tuesday night lineup, which consists of Will Trent and High Potential. As a result, The Rookie is shifting to Monday nights at 10 p.m. Starting on January 26, the hit show will follow American Idol, and the remaining 15 episodes of The Rookie will have a straight run with no interruptions. Based on Carl Hiaasen's novel Double Whammy, RJ Decker focuses on a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who "starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of South Florida, tackling cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre, with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife and a shadowy new benefactor - a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally ... or his one-way ticket back to prison." Midseason 2026 TV Schedule: See When Your Favorite Shows Will Air It was announced in June 2025 that Speedman, 50, landed the lead role of RJ Decker. Multiple outlets noted, however, that Speedman's commitment to playing Nick Marsh on Grey's Anatomy shouldn't be impacted. He's expected to continue his recurring role on the long-running medical drama. RJ Decker has already been through some cast changes ahead of its premiere. News broke in November 2025 that Station 19's Jaina Lee Ortiz will play Emi Ochoa, who is described as a "shrewd-if-unpredictable daughter of a very powerful, very corrupt state senator" with ties to RJ's past. The character was originally named Shay Bennett and played by Weruche Opia before the surprise recasting. In addition to Speedman and Ortiz, RJ Decker stars Kevin Rankin, Adelaide Clemens and Bevin Bru. Before RJ Decker, Speedman won over Grey's Anatomy fans as a guest star on season 14. He then appeared as a main cast member during seasons 18 and 19 as Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) love interest before taking a break from the show. Speedman rejoined the cast as a recurring character for season 20 and has remained on Grey's Anatomy since then. Winter TV Preview 2026: Inside Must-Watch New and Returning Shows "[The fans] have lots of thoughts. I thought it was gonna be a layup, me coming onto the show," Speedman said on SiriusXM's The Spotlight With Jessica Shaw in October 2024. "I'm not a big social media guy, but I remember going on after my first episodes debuted with her, and they tease like, 'There's this character coming back to the show.'" He continued: "And the fans, you know, on social media were not ... There was a lot of vomit emojis, which I was like, 'Oh, alright, alright.'" Speedman noted that all he could do was "laugh at" the public response, adding of Meredith, "It's really funny how serious they are about that character, and who's with that character and who's not with that character." RJ Decker premieres March 3 on ABC at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.