Get ready to see more from The Rookie universe.
Back in 2022, viewers got a taste for an expanded universe when the spin-off The Rookie: Feds, starring leading man Nathan Fillion as well as Niecy Nash Betts, premiered, however it failed to move past its first season.
Nonetheless, showrunner Alexi Hawley is taking another stab at a spin-off, which just got its pilot order, and its lead star.
After first going into development in December 2024, the spin-off, The Rookie: North, has gotten a pilot order from ABC, and cast Jay Ellis in its lead role.
The actor, who has signed on as a producer as well, most recently featured in the Kate Hudson led comedy Running Point — which is working on its second season — and is also known for his roles on Insecure, Top Gun: Maverick, Somebody I Used to Know, Mrs. America, and most recently All Her Fault. He will also feature in Mindy Kaling's forthcoming comedy series Not Suitable for Work.
The official logline for the show reads: "Alex Holland (Tom) 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."
Alexi, The Rookie's showrunner, will write, executive produce, and direct the pilot, while the mothership show's lead Nathan will executive produce.
Back in May, Alexi, speaking with TV Insider, shared that he felt "really good about the script" for the spin-off, however noted at the time: "Ultimately, we're waiting to hear what the needs are [at ABC], but I feel very positive about it."
He had also admitted that his "caveat" is that he "also felt very positive about Season 3 of [Netflix’s] The Recruit, and it ended up not happening," referring to the Noah Centineo led CIA adventure-drama he also created, which was canceled after one season.
Nonetheless, he went on: "But look, it's apples and oranges. We just got a Season 8 on Rookie, the show works really well for them… Beyond that, it's out of my hands."
The Rookie's eighth season is set to premiere on January 2, 2026, and will kick things off from Prague, Czech Republic, where the premiere episode was filmed.
In addition to Nathan, the series, which premiered in 2018, also stars Jenna Dewan, Mekia Cox, Bridget Regan, Felix Solis, Alyssa Díaz, Eric Winter, and Shawn Ashmore, among others.