The Rookieuniverse is on track for expansion withABC's having given the greenlight for the spinoff pilot,The Rookie: North.
Last month,Jay Elliswas cast as the lead character, and he will be following the pattern ofNathan Fillion's John Nolan, an older man who has decided to make alifechange, a major career change, by going into law enforcement. The main difference between the two series is that Nolan joined a major law enforcement agency when he became a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, but Ellis' Alex Holland will be joining a small-town police force in Washington state, where like Nolan, he will be the oldest rookie.
"I feel like the [basis to] our universe is re-invention in general, but specifically people making a choice to do something else with their life," series creatorAlexi HawleytoldParade.
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The official description for the spinoff reads: "Alex Holland 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."
"We're shooting that pilot in late winter," Hawley continued. "It was announced that Jay Ellis has signed on to be the lead, which is a dream, he's amazing. I'm excited about it. It's a patrol show likeRookie, but it's set in a very different world, which is the Pacific Northwest. Not just a big city cop show but more of a little bit of urban, little bit or rural, and little bit of meth labs in the woods, so it'll be fun."
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This will be the second spinoff ofThe Rookie.The first,Rookie: Feds,starringNiecy Nash, only lasted one season, but it was a step out of policing because rather than a cop, Nash's Simone Clark was a rookie for the FBI.
When Ellis' casting was announced inNovember, Fillion posted a welcome on Instagram, writing, "…and the Rookie-verse grows. Welcome, Mr. Ellis! You're gonna love this ride!
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At this point in time,The Rookie: Northis still a pilot, so there's no airdate, but if all goes well, ABC could pick it up for the 2026-2027 season.
The Rookiewill return for its eighth season at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 on ABC.
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This story was originally published byParadeon Dec 25, 2025, where it first appeared in theTVsection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.
