The Rookie keeps right on chugging along. The procedural drama has been able to juggle case-of-the-week storylines with high-stakes character developments for seven seasons now, and ABC has made the decision to expand the franchise for the second time in four years.
The notion of a second spinoff was teased in December, with plans to set a similarly plotted story in Washington instead of the flagship series setting of Los Angeles. Things have been pretty quiet on the spinoff front over the last few months, but Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley had a very exciting update for fans during a recent chat with TVLine.
Alexi Hawley feels 'really good' about spinoff
Hawley confirmed that the spinoff is still in good shape, and that he's wrapping up the script for the pilot. Furthermore, he has high hopes for the spinoff and what it can do for the Rookie franchise as a whole. "I feel really good about the script," the showrunner asserted. "We just got a season eight on Rookie, the show works really well for them."
The fact that the flagship series was just renewed by ABC is definitely a good sign, but Hawley did qualify his enthusiasm with some notes about past disappointments. Hawley also felt good about season three of The Recruit, which was not picked up by Netflix, and he also had a hand in the very first Rookie spinoff, The Rookie: Feds, which was canceled after one season.
"It's out of my hands," the showrunner admitted. "Ultimately, we’re waiting to hear what the needs are [at ABC], but I feel very positive about it." Hawley has good reason to feel positive. The Rookie netted its biggest ratings month in years this March, and continues to put up surprisingly high numbers on streaming platforms like Hulu and Disney+.
The spinoff will focus on another cop's "second act"
Furthermore, the failure of The Rookie: Feds coincided with the Hollywood strikes, so the still untitled spinoff that Hawley and Nathan Fillion, Rookie star and executive producer, are working on now has a better chance of succeeding given the current TV climate.
The spinoff does not yet have actors cast, but TVLine does suggest that the premise will follow a male officer who decides to step into a "new phase of life in his second act" similar to Fillion's John Nolan. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Based on the amount of overlap between The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds, we can assume (or at least hope) that there will be some cameos by Nolan and the cast of the flagship series in the spinoff.
The season 7 finale of The Rookie airs May 13 on ABC