Two years after The Rookie: Feds, ABC is ready to give the Nathan Fillion-led The Rookie another spinoff. The proposed spinoff has just received an official title as well as a major development update.
Per Deadline, the new spinoff is currently titled The Rookie North and has “been gaining momentum for a pilot order” from ABC. However, that would only happen once the lead role, described as a male in his 40s-50s, has been cast, with Deadline noting that a handful of known actors have already been approached for the role. The Rookie North is one of several projects in serious pilot consideration at ABC for the 2025-26 season, along with the Scrubs reboot, the Rachel Bloom-led Do You Want Kids?, and the comedy Mittens.
Of those four projects, one will make it to pilot and join 9-1-1: Nashville as the only new scripted series on ABC’s 2025-26 schedule. However, unlike Nashville, which is slated to premiere this fall after 9-1-1 on Thursdays, the project that moves ahead will be saved for midseason, likely premiering in early 2026 on the network. With ABC already holding The Rookie until midseason, a strategy that paid off during the 2024-25 season, the network has the opportunity to pair The Rookie North with its mothership series, although that depends entirely on whether the potential spinoff beats out the other three projects for a pilot order.
The Rookie North Has Been in Development Since 2024
The Rookie North has been in development at Lionsgate Television and 20th Television since December 2024, with The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley writing and executive producing. Fillion is also onboard as an executive producer. The spinoff will be set in Washington state and was originally going to focus on a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act.
However, Deadline is noting that The Rookie North has now evolved to more closely resemble the mothership, which began with Fillion’s John Nolan closing his construction company to move to Los Angeles to become a police officer. Casting notices for the lead role in The Rookie North, tentatively named Alex, describe him as a “former overachiever who becomes a rookie cop after his life did not go as planned.”
Seven seasons in, The Rookie remains a strong ratings performer for ABC, with the most recent season featuring some of the show’s highest viewership in years. The Rookie has also found success on streaming. The drama series primarily follows Fillion’s John Nolan, who, after graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, navigates the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job. The series also stars Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and Lisseth Chavez.
