Big changes are on the way when Nathan Fillion’s popular show, The Rookie, returns for a new season in early 2027. And it won’t be the only Rookie series airing! Following the cancellation of The Rookie: Feds, a brand-new spinoff is being developed. According to creator Alexi Hawley, The Rookie: North will be the most significant update to the show’s format yet.
Fans of the show will find some things are similar, but this new series will be different in a big way. Most police shows focus on detectives dealing with crimes as they happen, but this one will take place in a remote, rural area of Washington State, setting it apart from other shows like The Rookie: Feds.
The Rookie: North Will Not Feature as Many Crossovers as Feds
Roughly a year later, news surfaced about a potential second spin-off of The Rookie, this time taking place in Washington State. John Hawley chose Jay Ellis to play Alex Holland, a man who becomes a police officer after a harrowing home invasion. Like the original, he’s the oldest newcomer to join the force.
Nolan was a successful contractor, but Holland faced difficulties throughout his career. The story’s location – a remote, rural area outside of Vancouver – presents unique challenges compared to filming in Los Angeles. Help from emergency services like SWAT and the police isn’t readily available when you’re far from the city.
Both Feds and The Rookie are filmed in Los Angeles, making it easy for characters to appear in both shows. The creator of Feds confirmed that Nathan will be in the pilot episode of the new series. While filming in Vancouver makes future crossovers more difficult, they’re open to bringing characters and storylines together if it feels natural. He mentioned they will look for ‘organic opportunities’ to make it happen.
This isn’t meant to imply that such a crossover was necessary or even a good idea. The Rookie isn’t like most standard police shows on network television. Given that both sets of characters worked in Los Angeles, it would have felt odd if they hadn’t interacted at all.
This pattern continues, especially with Felix Solis frequently returning as Agent Garza. However, regular crossovers felt more natural in the former “Arrowverse.” For shows such as Law & Order, NCIS, CSI, and similar procedural dramas with connected universes, these events are more impactful because they don’t happen often.
The Rookie: North Will Distinguish Itself From the Main Series in Other Ways, Too
The new location for The Rookie: North isn’t just about saving money. It will significantly change the feel of the police drama and introduce a whole new set of characters. The show will have a very different look, and because it remains focused on everyday patrol work, viewers can expect unpredictable situations in each episode.
The types of cases Holland and her team handle will be quite different from the street-level incidents faced by Nolan and the Mid-Wilshire Police Division. This difference is likely the key to why North might succeed where Feds failed.
Let me tell you, The Rookie: Feds is seriously underrated – it’s a solid procedural drama. But honestly, it didn’t break much new ground like the original The Rookie did. What’s funny is, the whole ‘rookie’ idea isn’t really what keeps people watching these shows anymore. By Season 4, Nolan wasn’t exactly fresh out of training; they stretched that ‘new guy’ angle a little too thin, if you ask me.
Many shows have great actors and interesting characters, but what makes The Rookie different is how it focuses on the everyday life of police officers patrolling their beat. Unlike typical crime dramas that solve a new case each week, The Rookie feels more like a collection of individual stories.
Sometimes the team unites to help with a big city emergency, while other times they handle several different cases – some funny, others deeply sad. Unlike the FBI, where work is often similar day to day, Feds needed ways to create compelling drama. Because both Nolan and Simone were skilled at their jobs, the show focused less on professional mistakes and more on connections between characters, like the developing friendship between Lucy Chen and Agent Brendon Acres.
Unlike Feds, The Rookie: North has more creative freedom in its storytelling. Its location in a rural area will also allow it to establish its own identity, separate from the original Rookie series.
Like Feds, the Biggest Threat to The Rookie: North Is the Entertainment Business
Even when The Rookie isn’t at its best, it approaches storylines with genuine sincerity – a quality that sets it apart from many other police dramas. The show frequently addresses important social problems, often tackling controversial topics. However, focusing on things like corruption and systemic injustice through vague symbolism doesn’t quite work.
Even with viewers watching through DVR and streaming, the show’s ratings were solid. During the 2023 Hollywood strikes, studios made some strange choices to cut costs, like canceling programs that might have continued otherwise.
Similar to the previous installments, this new series will also explore complex social problems found in a rural community – issues that were central to both the original show and Feds. These aren’t simple crime-solving stories; they delve deeper. Because the focus is on street-level policing, officers encounter the consequences of crime by interacting with victims just as often as with criminals, leading to stories with deeper meaning.
Beyond that, individuals have no say in what happens once they’re arrested. This challenging situation isn’t an accident – it’s an inherent part of the system.
If The Rookie: North manages to recreate what makes the original series so appealing, it will be just as enjoyable. Setting the show in a rural area will help it stand out from other police dramas on TV, while the Los Angeles setting of the original The Rookie allows for storylines involving celebrities and major urban crime.
This new show, set in a remote, northern location, will feature characters dealing with local criminals and unique problems. It could become a hit quickly, similar to shows like Twin Peaks that stand out due to their unusual settings. However, if it doesn’t gain traction immediately, ABC needs to be patient and believe in the show – qualities that are often hard to find in Hollywood.
Season 9 of The Rookie is planned to premiere on ABC in early 2027, and it will include the new series The Rookie: North. You can currently watch all previous seasons of The Rookie on Disney+ and Hulu.
2026-07-27 22:09