The Rookie universe is expanding! According to Deadline, ABC has greenlit the pilot for The Rookie: North, which will star Jay Ellis, and we can’t wait! Do you want to know all the details? Keep reading!
What is The Rookie: North About?
The Rookie: North will be the second spin-off of The Rookie. The show has been in development for some time. Alexi Hawley wrote and directed the pilot. Also, Ellis is one of the most popular actors right now! He has a recurring role on Netflix’s Running Point and as a regular one on Hulu’s upcoming Not Suitable For Work. But don’t panic! If The Rookie: North pilot is picked up as a series, Ellis will continue to maintain his schedule with other projects.
Thus, the official synopsis of the show is: “Alex Holland (Ellis) believed his mid-life 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.” So, the only difference with the original is that the action will shift from an urban setting (Los Angeles) to a rural one (Washington state).
As for the team behind the camera, Hawley will serve as executive producer. Joining him are Nathan Fillion, Mark Gordon, Bill Norcross, and Michelle Chapman. Meanwhile, Ellis, in addition to starring in the show, will also serve as a producer. So, everything is ready to film the pilot in the spring or late winter, as Hawley told Deadline in early September.
Is it a Good Idea?
If you ask us what we think about this…well, for the moment, we’re watching this spin-off with caution. We love that, just like with The Rookie: Feds, it stars a POC actor. However, the premise sounds too similar to the original series for our taste.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville have quite similar premises, but the latter adds the rural element to the mix and is managing to forge its own identity. The same could happen with The Rookie: North.
But we can’t ignore that a premise so similar to the original is a double-edged sword, because the opposite could also happen, and the spin-off might not differentiate itself much from the original series and fail to find its own identity.
So yes, we’re eager…but cautious.
The Rookie: North is coming soon to ABC.
