Fans are getting closer to getting more from the The Rookie universe.
Back in 2022, viewers got a taste for an expanded universe when the spin-off The Rookie: Feds, starring leading man Nathan Fillion as well as Niecy Nash Betts, premiered, however it failed to move past its first season.
Nonetheless, showrunner Alexi Hawley is taking another stab at a spin-off, and its future sounds promising.
Amid pilot season for ABC, Deadline reports the network is getting closer to a pilot order for the spin-off, which has now been confirmed to be titled The Rookie North.
Though not official yet, actors in their 40s and 50s have been approached for the leading man role, and a proper pilot order would be made when the role is cast.
Back in May, Alexi, speaking with TV Insider, shared that he felt “really good about the script,” however noted: “Ultimately, we’re waiting to hear what the needs are [at ABC], but I feel very positive about it.”
However he also admitted that his “caveat” is that he “also felt very positive about Season 3 of [Netflix’s] The Recruit, and it ended up not happening,” referring to the Noah Centineo led CIA adventure-drama he also created.
Nonetheless, he went on: “But look, it’s apples and oranges. We just got a Season 8 on Rookie, the show works really well for them… Beyond that, it’s out of my hands.”
THE ROOKIE – “Til Death” – The team searches for a serial killer as Nyla struggles with the aftermath following the attack. Lucy’s relationship with Seth takes a turn, while Bailey battles her fear of Jason Wyler.
The spin-off is looking for a leading man
Alexi also recently gave some insight into the storylines fans will get to see from The Rookie season 8, which is currently in production — and which they won’t. Among them were Nathan and Jenna Dewan’s characters’ Bailey Nune and John Nolan’s journey to expanding their family, which he says has in fact come to an end. He first confirmed to ScreenRant that after their adoption application was denied due to the amount of danger in their lives as police officers, the couple will come to terms with not having a child of their own, in an effort to address the reality of their unique situation and the extreme danger they face.
Asked whether the storyline has come to an end, he further said: “I think it has. I think that’s a road, sadly, with a lot of low points for them,” and noted: “But I think that’s also a reality for lots of people. The part, [especially], where they couldn’t have a kid biologically was very recognizable.”
Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan on The Rookie season four© Getty
Nathan and Jenna are a couple on the show
He further shared that “at the end of the day, just the sheer volume of near-death experiences that they both have on the daily” contributed to the decision to have their storyline play out the way it did, though maintained: “Obviously, first responders can adopt, so we’re not saying that, but [it’s] the reality of their unique situation.”
“I think they’ve come through it and, for now at least, have made their peace with [the fact] that it’s just the two of them,” he added of the characters. Plus, he noted that it’s the fact that they are such “danger magnets” that makes the show work. “If they were less danger magnets, the show wouldn’t be as fun.”
