Titled “The Rookie North,” the new show, which has not been officially picked up to pilot, is set in Washington State. The OG series follows members of the Los Angeles Police Department.
In July, Deadline reported that “The Rookie North” will likely be picked up once the lead role is cast. The new show will follow a middle-aged former overachiever who becomes a rookie cop after his life doesn’t go as planned.
According to Deadline, several well-known actors have already been approached about the role, although no casting decisions have been announced. ABC is looking for a leading man with similar star power to Scott Speedman, who will helm another drama pilot the network picked up this year, “RJ Decker.”
“The Rookie” showrunner Alexi Hawley told Deadline this month that production for the spinoff will likely begin in 2026.
“I think we are looking at shooting a pilot in the spring or late winter, so we are gearing up for that,” he said.
“The Rookie North” would be the second spinoff in the “Rookie” universe. “The Rookie: Feds,” which starred Niecy Nash-Betts as school counselor-turned FBI agent Simone Clark, was canceled in 2023 after one season.
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Some have blamed the show’s demise on the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and subsequent SAG-AFTRA strike, but Hawley thinks it was “bigger” than that.
“A lot [of it] had to do with the forces that led to strike … the consolidation of the industry [and] the economic impact the streaming wars have had on different companies,” Hawley said at the Television Critics Tour in February 2024, per Deadline. “I do feel it was not a creative decision. It was a business decision”
As for “The Rookie,” season 8 is set to premiere in January 2026 as part of ABC’s midseason lineup.
