There could be a new spinoff of The Rookie coming, but that doesn’t mean more crossovers between the two shows. There's one thing that could get in the way.
The Rookie is finally returning tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 6 for its eighth season. Fans have loved the story of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), who joins the LAPD in his 40s and works his way up the ranks. The series has branched out with each season involving new rookie cops alongside the favorites fans have come to love.
It’s no surprise a hit show inspired a spinoff in The Rookie: Feds with Niecy Nash-Betts as a woman who becomes an FBI agent. While good, it was sadly a victim of the 2023 Hollywood strikes and canceled. However, several characters from Feds have popped up on The Rookie since.
Now, there are plans for a new spinoff so does this mean we get more crossovers coming?
What is The Rookie: North about?
Announced via Deadline, The Rookie: North is a proposed pilot currently being prepped by ABC. The show will star Jay Ellis as Alex Holland, an inner-city man who, following a home invasion, joins the Pierce County Police Department in Washington state as its oldest rookie officer.
It’s no surprise that the series follows the formula of a person in their 40s changing their lives to become a cop. While Feds was good with the intrigue of federal investigations, The Rookie fans seem to enjoy a show more about regular cops.
Could crossovers happen between The Rookie and North?
Speaking to TV Insider, creator Alexi Hawley, who produces both shows, said he looked forward to a series set not in a huge city like Los Angeles but in a quieter suburban area in Washington.
“But what I’m excited about is it’s going to just feel like a very different show just because of the environment. Most, if not all, cop shows are set in big cities. And so to do something that’s more sort of urban adjacent but also goes all the way into national parks and meth labs in the woods and strip malls and that kind of stuff that just feels not like a city experience, I think, will be really great. And obviously, I mean, it’s a dream to get Jay to do the show. I’m super excited to write for that guy.”
Ellis is an established actor with shows like Insecure and The Game and seems right for the part. As for the crossover potential, Hawley acknowledged a big stumbling block is how The Rookie films in L.A. but North would be shot in Vancouver.
“It would be more challenging just because physically, we’re going to shoot at least the pilot up in Vancouver. And probably we would shoot the series there, too, just because of the location is Pacific Northwest, which you can’t do in L.A..”
There’s also the fact that it wouldn’t make as much sense for L.A. cops to be heading to Washington and vice versa. There’s always the chance a Rookie character can pop up either on a case or even a vacation and vice versa for North characters but it’s logical the two shows would be far more separate.
North is still in the planning stages, and no guarantee it’ll be picked up for a series. But if it is, then The Rookie fans can be happy to see the franchise continue to branch out in fun ways.
The Rookie season 8 airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
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