A second spinoff of THE ROOKIE is officially on its way to ABC.
“The untitled project hails from THE ROOKIE creator Alexi Hawley. Per the official description, the show is set in Washington state and ‘follows a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act,’” Variety reported Dec. 5.
Hawley will write and executive produce the show alongside the original show’s star Nathan Filion. Bill Norcross and Michelle Chapman will also serve as executive producers.
“The project is co-produced by Lionsgate Television and 20th Television,” Variety said. “Lionsgate acquired the show upon the completion of their acquisition of eOne in late 2023, while ABC Signature had been the other studio on the show before it was absorbed into 20th TV as part of a restructuring at Disney.”
Variety said, “Should the new show go forward, it would be the second spinoff of THE ROOKIE to date. ABC previously ordered a two-part backdoor pilot during THE ROOKIE’s fourth season that introduced Niecy Nash Betts as Simone Clark, a woman in her 40s who becomes a Special Agent with the FBI. The subsequent spinoff, THE ROOKIE: FEDS, aired for just one season on ABC starting in 2022.”
While FEDS was received well by those who watched it, viewer numbers weren’t high enough to earn it another season.
When ABC announced Season 7’s renewal, it reported that Season 6’s premiere gained 11.9 million viewers, which is the highest number the show’s ever had. In February, the show was the second-most-popular drama on Hulu and had over 500 million viewing hours since its genesis in 2018. Almost half of those numbers are from 2023 alone.
THE ROOKIE is an intense and compelling show, and the opening to Season 6 does not shy away from large action set pieces. The series maintains its positive outlook on law enforcement and John’s insistence on protecting and serving his community, even at the risk of his own life. There is no foul language or objectionable sexual content. However, the crime scenes and intense shootouts between the police and the criminals are graphic and bloody, especially for a TV-14 series. Despite these elements, this episode is still a largely moral and positive display of the first responder’s sacrifice and hard work.
The new spinoff’s stars include Fillion, Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Tru Valentino and Lisseth Chavez.
CBR reported, “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.”
