In the world of television, there is usually a lot of excitement when it comes to the prospect of a crossover. Beloved characters from separate shows share the screen in an aptly interwoven storyline. The Rookie and 9-1-1, are two of the biggest police procedural dramas available on ABC, and for some time now, fans of both shows have played around with the prospect of seeing both shows pull off a crossover. While both shows are necessarily in the same universe, they are equally balanced procedural dramas that blend humor and crime fighting. More importantly, they are both set in Los Angeles. So will we ever see The Rookie and 9-1-1 crossover?
A crossover between both shows is of interest to their respective fanbases, so the question was put to The Rookie creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley. Speaking to TV Line, Hawley offered a thoughtful response to the idea. Speaking candidly, the showrunner said it would be a “hard crossover” and goes on to offer one reason why it might be best if both police procedurals were kept apart. Hawley’s comments read:
“To me, that’s a hard crossover, just because you have an expectation that you’re going to see [9-1-1 characters] all the time” if you accommodate even one stunt-y crossover. “If we’re both in the same universe in Los Angeles, how are we not stumbling over them all the time?”
Both shows being set in Los Angeles does open the door for a crossover. The prospect of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) meeting up with Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) and the fireworks that could prospectively fly between the pair holds quite a strong lure. However, it’s not common for shows with different producers to cross over, and like Hawley rightly points out, it’d disrupt the logic of his own show.
Nolan Will Need Some Time to Bounce Back
Turning our focus back to The Rookie, the police procedural has aired the premiere of its seventh season, which has seen Nolan return to active duty after being shot for the first time at the end of Season 6. Nolan isn’t exactly in the right place with Jason (Steve Kazee) still in the wind. Showrunner Hawley, speaking recently, highlighted that Nolan will have his struggles as the season progresses, saying:
“And so to get him to a place where in a split second moment he makes a decision and then second guesses it — it’s just a very human thing to do. The joy of Nathan as an actor is he’s not afraid to fall down. He’s not afraid to be vulnerable and to fail. And so it just makes him very relatable to see him struggle a bit.”
