ABC is taking another crack at turning The Rookie into a full-fledged franchise. A new spinoff series is in the works at the network.
According to Deadline, Lionsgate Television and 20th Television are in early development on the offshoot, which will be set in Washington state and focus on a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act. This logline confirms that the new spinoff will keep with the concept that made the original series such a hit with viewers, focusing on a character making a major midlife career change.The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley is writing the spinoff and will also executive produce alongside The Rookie star Nathan Fillion.
ABC originally gave Hawley a blind script commitment intended for a potential new Rookie spinoff earlier this year, which evolved into the current offshoot in development. This is a different route than the one ABC took with the first Rookie spinoff, The Rookie: Feds, which originated with a two-episode backdoor pilot on The Rookie during its fourth season. The Rookie: Feds premiered on the network in September 2022, starring Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie at the FBI Academy. Unfortunately, despite a positive critical reception, viewership just wasn’t there, leading ABC to cancel The Rookie: Feds after a single season in November 2023.
The Rookie Season 7 Premiere Date Announced
News of a new Rookie spinoff comes ahead of the original series’ Season 7 premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Although The Rookie is typically part of ABC’s fall schedule, the series was held until midseason this year. Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich recently touched on this scheduling decision, explaining, “The Rookie and Will Trent are two of the cornerstones of our schedule. It felt like the best way to platform those shows for success was to launch them in January, when we have this huge promotional platform in New Year’s Rockin’ Eve as well as college sports and Christmas programming.”
The Rookie follows Fillion’s John Nolan, a 45-year-old from Pennsylvania who moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. After graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, Nolan navigates the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job. Besides Fillion, The Rookie stars Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Jenna Dewan, and Lisseth Chavez.
ABC Also Developing New 9-1-1 Spinoff
The Rookie isn’t the only procedural drama series on ABC that is eyeing a spinoff. The Alphabet Network is also working on a new offshoot of its 9-1-1 series with Ryan Murphy and Tim Minear. The new offshoot will likely be set in Hawaii. It will be the second spinoff of 9-1-1 after 9-1-1: Lone Star, which is set to end with its fifth season this February.
