‘The Rookie: North’ Could Fix the Biggest Mistake in ‘The Rookie: Feds’

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After the recent attempt at a new direction for The Rookie: Feds didn’t work out, ABC is returning to the core concept for its latest spin-off, The Rookie: North. Expected in late 2026 or early 2027, The Rookie: North will follow the same basic idea and characters as the popular show The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion, with the main difference being a new location. While it’s not a completely new idea, going back to what works is likely the best strategy for the franchise – if something is successful, there’s no need to change it.

In 2022, ABC attempted to expand the Rookie universe with The Rookie: Feds. However, the show deviated too much from what made the original series successful – it centered on an FBI agent instead of a police officer. This change led to its cancellation after just one season. Recognizing this misstep, the creator of the franchise, Alexi Hawley, has now returned to the original concept with The Rookie: North, hoping to recapture the popularity of the original series.

The Successful ‘Rookie’ Formula, Explained


ABC

Premiering in October 2018, The Rookie quickly became a hit for ABC, thanks to creator Alexi Hawley. The show follows John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a 45-year-old man who starts a new career with the Los Angeles Police Department after a life-changing event. Originally a construction worker from Foxburg, Pennsylvania, Nolan became a local hero when he stopped a bank robbery. Nine months later, he decided to pursue his dream and become the LAPD’s oldest rookie.

After joining the Mid-Wilshire police division, where most of his colleagues were younger, Nolan quickly advanced in the LAPD and started training new recruits. He balanced his police work with raising his son, Henry, and getting used to life in Los Angeles. Throughout the series, Nolan also develops a romantic relationship with firefighter Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), and they eventually marry in Season 6.

Beyond Nathan Fillion’s star power, the main reason people enjoy The Rookie is its simple but effective concept: a 45-year-old starting his career as a police officer. It’s fun to watch him use his life experience to guide and even teach the younger, less experienced officers as he works his way up the ranks.

Viewers enjoyed watching Nolan start a new chapter in his life, making The Rookie a hit that has run for seven seasons and is continuing with Season 8 premiering on ABC on January 6, 2026. The show’s success also led to a spin-off, The Rookie: Feds, but it wasn’t quite as popular as the original.

How ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Tried To Change the Winning Formula


ABC

Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter created The Rookie: Feds, a spin-off of The Rookie. While maintaining the core elements of the original, Feds features a gender swap and shifts the setting from the Los Angeles Police Department to the FBI. The show follows Simone Clark (Niecy Nash-Betts), a 48-year-old woman determined to become an FBI trainee. Her dream stems from a childhood experience: when Simone was nine, her father, Cutty Clark (Frankie Faison), was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for eight years.

I’ve just joined the academy and I’m reporting to Special Agent Carter Hope, who’s my training officer. I’m also working with Supervisory Special Agent Matt Garza’s team – they’re really focused on cutting through the red tape and getting back to good, old-fashioned detective work. I’m learning a lot on the job, and I’ve become friends with another new recruit, Brendon Acres, and his training agent, Laura Stensen. We’re all in this together!

Beyond a few changes to characters and settings, The Rookie: Feds followed a similar pattern to the original Rookie. Both shows center around people starting new careers later in life and trying to balance their jobs with personal interests. However, audiences didn’t respond to the lead character, Simone, as strongly as they did to John Nolan, and the show was canceled after just one season – a total of 22 episodes, including a two-part pilot episode that initially aired as part of the original series. Many viewers felt Simone lacked the down-to-earth quality and the charming clumsiness that made John Nolan so relatable when he first became a police officer.

To counter the show’s cancellation, Hawley and ABC decided to go back to a familiar storyline – a man beginning a fresh chapter – but moved the setting from the city of Los Angeles to a more countryside, northern location.

‘The Rookie: North’ May Benefit From Returning to the Tried and True Formula


ABC

In December 2024, ABC revealed plans for a spin-off of The Rookie, initially describing it as a show about a male police officer starting a new chapter in his life. Although this sounded similar to the original The Rookie‘s core idea, ABC also announced the spin-off would be set in rural Washington state – a big change from the Los Angeles setting of the original series. The spin-off is now titled The Rookie: North, and here’s what it’s officially about:

Alex Holland never thought he’d have a midlife crisis. However, a frightening home invasion awakens a hidden drive, leading him to pursue a long-abandoned dream: becoming a police officer. As the oldest rookie in the Pierce County Police Department, Alex faces challenges both in the city and the remote forests, where help is far away. He must convince his tough training officer, his younger colleagues, and himself that he’s finally found a purpose worth fighting for.

Jay Ellis, known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Running Point, and an NAACP Image Award winner for Insecure, will play Alex Holland. ABC seems to be aiming for The Rookie: North to closely resemble the original The Rookie series, and is moving away from the storylines established in The Rookie: Feds. Further casting details haven’t been announced yet.

ABC’s decision feels like an acknowledgement that The Rookie: Feds didn’t quite work. They’re essentially going back to basics with The Rookie: North, keeping the same core idea of a new police officer but changing the location. This approach—moving the setting from Los Angeles to Washington D.C.—should appeal to fans of the original The Rookie without repeating the mistakes of The Rookie: Feds, which changed the premise to focus on the FBI and didn’t perform as well in 2022. It’s a more cautious move for the network after a bigger gamble didn’t succeed.

This renewal is great news for longtime fans of The Rookie. While The Rookie has a strong IMDb rating of 8.0, compared to 5.4 for The Rookie: Feds, the spin-off actually received more positive reviews from critics. The Rookie: Feds earned an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (though only 21% from viewers), while The Rookie scored 68% (with a much higher 78% audience score).

ABC is making changes to The Rookie: Feds to fix what viewers disliked – mainly the main character and the move to the FBI. They’re going back to the successful elements that made the original The Rookie popular. You can watch The Rookie on Hulu.

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2025-12-03 20:04