The Rookie: North‘s story is similar to the main series, with Ellis playing Alex Holland, a middle-aged man who joins his local police force and is the oldest rookie among his peers. Check out the official logline for the series below:
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.
Finalizing Ellis’ deal reportedly came with some scheduling challenges due to the steadily expanding number of projects that he stars in. Along with a recurring role in Running Point season 2, the Insecure and Top Gun: Maverick star will be a series regular for the Hulu comedy show Not Suitable for Work. The final deal ensures that if The Rookie: North pilot is followed by a full series order, he will be able to do the spinoff and the Hulu comedy.
A full series order would make this the second spinoff in the police procedural franchise, following The Rookie: Feds being canceled after one season in 2023. The Rookie: Feds was co-created by Hawley and starred Niecy Nash-Betts and Frankie Faison.
Before the new spinoff, The Rookie season 8 will make its ABC debut on January 6. This premiere date ensures that the popular series avoids the mid-season hiatus that many network shows go through and will have minimal interruptions with its weekly release schedule.
The Rookie season 7’s unanswered questions are poised to be addressed in the fast-approaching season 8 premiere, but the stories of John Nolan (Fillion), Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neill), are not the only way that the franchise can explore now that The Rookie spinoff’s pilot is moving forward.
