‘The Rookie: North’ Could Finally Fix What the First Spinoff Got So Wrong Y01

Following the failed new formula for The Rookie: Feds, ABC has reverted to the original drawing board for the latest spin-off, The Rookie: North. Slated for a late 2026 or early 2027 release, The Rookie: North will adhere to the same premise and character setup as The Rookie, the hit police procedural starring Nathan Fillion, with a change in setting being the most significant alteration. Despite the lack of originality, going back to basics is arguably the wisest move for the franchise. After all, if it isn’t broken, then why fix it?

In 2022, ABC tried to branch out from the original premise by producing The Rookie: Feds. Yet, by straying too far from the original premise and focusing on an FBI agent rather than a police officer, the franchise lost its way, and the show was abruptly canceled after one season. Essentially admitting the mistake, franchise creator Alexi Hawley has recycled the same setup as the mothership series in hopes of restoring the popular luster to The Rookie: North.

The Successful ‘Rookie’ Formula, Explained

Created by Alexi Hawley for ABC, The Rookie is a popular cop show that became a massive success for the network when it premiered in October 2018. The police procedural tracks the personal and professional exploits of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a recently divorced construction worker from Foxburg, Pennsylvania, who helped foil a bank robbery attempt in his hometown. Nine months later, Nolan left his construction career behind, moved to Los Angeles, and became the LAPD’s oldest rookie at 45.

Upon joining the Mid-Wilshire division, populated by much younger police officers, Nolan climbs the ranks of the LAPD and soon becomes a training officer for new rookies. In between his professional duties, Nolan takes care of his young son, Henry, and adjusts to his new Los Angeles environment. Over time, Nolan also becomes romantically involved with LAFD firefighter Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), whom he eventually marries in Season 6.

In addition to Fillion’s starry charisma on the show, the primary appeal of The Rookie is its fundamental fish-out-of-water premise and the sight of a 45-year-old rookie police officer climbing the ranks of his force by channeling the wisdom accrued over a lifetime to outwit and teach the younger, naive crop of officers.

As viewers gravitated toward Nolan adjusting to a new life chapter, The Rookie became popular enough to last seven seasons and counting, with Season 8 slated to air on ABC on January 6, 2026. The show also became successful enough to spawn a spin-off, The Rookie: Feds, which, unfortunately, was unable to recapture the magic of the original series.

How ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Tried To Change the Winning Formula

ABC

Alexi Hawley co-created The Rookie: Feds with Terence Paul Winter. Conceived as a spin-off to The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds slightly altered the winning formula by swapping genders and moving from the LAPD to the FBI. The series tracks Simone Clark (Niecy Nash-Betts), a 48-year-old woman aspiring to become the oldest rookie trainee at the FBI Academy. Simone has always wanted to become an FBI special agent since her father, Cutty Clark (Frankie Faison), was wrongfully convicted and sent to jail for eight years when she was only nine.

Joining the academy, Simone reports to her training officer, Special Agent Carter Hope (James Lesure). Simone joins Supervisory Special Agent Matt Garza’s (Felix Solis) investigation team, which vows to eliminate wasteful bureaucracy and return to old-fashioned detective work. As she learns the tricks of the trade, Simone befriends her fellow academy member Brendon Acres (Kevin Zegers) and his training agent, Laura Stensen (Britt Robertson).

Aside from the cosmetic gender and departmental changes, The Rookie: Feds doesn’t stray too far from the original Rookie formula. At their core, both series are about people redirecting career paths later in life and finding a harmonious balance between work and recreation. Unfortunately, viewers didn’t connect with Simone as they did with John, and the show was swiftly canceled after 1 season and 22 episodes (plus a two-episode backdoor pilot). Common complaints stemmed from a lack of humility and missing the relatable incompetence that John Nolan had when he first joined the force.

Hawley and ABC’s answer to the cancellation? Return to the basic “man starting a new phase in his life” formula and change the urban setting of Los Angeles to a rural landscape up north.

‘The Rookie: North’ May Benefit From Returning to the Tried and True Formula

When ABC announced in December 2024 that it was developing a new Rookie spin-off, it described the premise as “a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act.” While that sounds exactly like The Rookie‘s popular hook, the press release also stated that the show would be set in rural Washington state, marking a drastic geographic departure from sunny Los Angeles. The spin-off has since been titled The Rookie: North, with the official synopsis reading:

“Alex Holland believed his midlife wasn’t worthy of a crisis. But after a violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a lifetime of failed commitments by joining the Pierce County Police Department as its oldest rookie. Policing from the urban coast to the rural forest where backup isn’t just 5 minutes away, Alex must prove to his skeptical training officer, his fellow rookies, and himself that he’s finally found something worthy of the fight.”

Alex Holland will be portrayed by Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick, Running Point), who won an NAACP Image Award for his performance as Lawrence Walker in HBO’s Insecure. While additional casting information is unavailable at this time, it’s clear that ABC intends to make The Rookie: North feel identical to the main franchise series, while forgetting about The Rookie: Feds.

For ABC, the move reads like an admission of missteps with The Rookie: Feds, replacing the FBI premise with another police-department rookie anchored by a new lead character. By only changing the setting from Los Angeles to Washington, the appeal of the main series will carry over to The Rookie: North without alienating fans like The Rookie: Feds did in 2022. It’s a compromise and a bit of a safe bet for the network after taking a bigger risk that didn’t pay off with the FBI twist in the first spin-off.

It’s also a win for those who’ve supported The Rookie since its inception. The show has an IMDb score of 8.0, which is substantially higher than The Rookie: Feds‘ 5.4. The irony is that The Rookie: Feds drew better critical acclaim, earning an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes (21% audience score) compared to The Rookie‘s 68% (78% audience score).

By addressing the issues most fans had with The Rookie: Feds — an unlikable protagonist and the shift to the FBI — ABC is deliberately restoring the core formula that made The Rookie a success. The Rookie is available to stream on Hulu.