Why Wasn’t Niecy Nash-Betts in ‘The Rookie’ Season 6 Finale?
The Rookie: Feds was one of the casualties of the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023. Despite being a success for ABC, the network had to cancel it for various reasons. During its short run, the show and The Rookie had squeezed in mini-crossovers, but when the spin-off was canceled, the mothership did not address what happened to Matthew Garza and his team. That was until the season finale of The Rookie Season 6 when Mid-Wilshire enlisted the FBI’s help to try and capture an elusive criminal. Garza and his team rose to the challenge and ferried Nolan and Nyla to Argentina, where a showdown ensued with Monica and her people. Noticeably, Simone Clark was absent, and given how central she was to the show, it felt odd. Alexi Hawley talked to TV Insider about bringing back the characters from The Rookie: Feds and what the future looks for the team from the canceled show in the mothership. Hawley also talked about why Niecy Nash-Betts did not appear in the episode, saying:
“I definitely wanted to bring them [Feds cast] in. There was a conversation with ABC after the sad cancellation of Feds about whether I could keep them in our universe. They’re phenomenal and if those actors are available—and there’s going to come a time where they’re not, they’re so good—I want to keep them in our world. Obviously Niecy [Nash-Betts] falls into a different category. She’s already off doing a bunch of high profile stuff, and I don’t necessarily know that I’ll be able to get her back.
Hawley went on to explain, “But yeah, I just wanted to see them again, and they’re so good. Luckily, they were kind enough to come play, and they loved their characters and obviously were really sad about the cancellation. I definitely knew coming into the season I couldn’t do it early. I wanted to let that sort of breathe a bit, but then it’s about what’s a story worthy of seeing them again.”
Will We See ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Characters Again?
Hawley also addressed whether the characters will appear in future installments of The Rookie. He reiterated that scheduling was the real issue, as with Nash-Betts. She is currently filming Ryan Murphy’s upcoming show, Grotesquerie. Hawley confirmed that if there was a significant arc for the cast, and they were available, he would love to have them back, saying,
“It’s amazing how much of showrunning is about juggling because you only own the series regulars, right? Anybody else, if Matthew Glave gets a show, if Bridget Regan gets another show, they don’t become available. So yes, there’s a lot of my job that’s about making phone calls, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about using them in [Episodes] 5 and 6, are they have available?’ and then that could change or then dates shift. I definitely want to use them where it’s most impactful story-wise. I don’t want to waste their time and have them show up for one scene. But yeah, I’d love to use them for the rest of our life as Rookie
