Since The Rookie premiered on ABC, the police procedural drama series has been able to accumulate an extremely dedicated fan following. As a result, there are lots of people who care deeply about the show's most underrated characters who should get more of a spotlight. On top of that, many viewers have strong feelings about what should happen with characters like Bailey Nune.
Considering that there are so many people who are that invested in The Rookie, it makes perfect sense that the network behind it has wanted to extend that success. Unfortunately, the show's first spin-off failed, even though a character from that series is part of The Rookie season 8. However, another spin-off titled The Rookie: North is set to premiere in the coming months. Now, the first confirmed The Rookie: North star has made their first public statement on the new series.
Jay Ellis gives a hilarious first statement on The Rookie: North
One of the things that has made The Rookie such a special show is how fantastic the series' ensemble cast is. Despite that fact, it has always been clear that Nathan Fillion's John Nolan is The Rookie's main character. In the coming months, it will be exciting for fans of the franchise to see the upcoming spin-off's cast rounded out. Until then, observers can be happy to know that The Rookie: North already has its main star.
On November 24, 2025, Deadline reported that Jay Ellis will star in The Rookie: North. After that news broke, Ellis quickly posted about his new role on Instagram. In his short, sweet, and funny post, Ellis confirmed his The Rookie: North role and he joked about how taxing portraying a police officer can be on him. That makes sense since, similar to Fillion when The Rookie premiered, Ellis will play a middle-aged man starting his career in law enforcement. As of the time of this writing, Ellis is 43 years old according to Famous Birthdays because he reportedly was born on December 27, 1981.
"Yes, I’m the newest officer. No, I still don’t know where my locker is. And also does anyone know where I can get bulk ice for my soon to be daily ice bath for my knees and back?"
As Ellis' Instagram post continued, he thanked Nathan Fillion and the creator and boss of The Rookie franchise, Alexi Hawley, for welcoming him to the world they'd created. "Thank you [Alexi Hawley] and [Nathan Fillion] for the welcome to The Rookie family." To Ellis' point, Fillion publicly welcomed him to The Rookie's franchise in an Instagram post of his own.
As of the time of this writing, Ellis remains the only actor to officially be attached to The Rookie: North. It will be interesting to see whether the show's other stars will celebrate their roles similarly to the way that Ellis has.