When The Rookie premiered on ABC back in 2018, no one expected it to become one of the best police procedurals ever made, but now, seven seasons later, it’s easily in the conversation. Starring Nathan Fillion, the series follows his character of John Nolan, a man in his forties who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department. As with a lot of popular network shows, The Rookie was spun-off into The Rookie: Feds in 2022, but that only lasted for one season. Now, a second spin-off is in development, and creator Alexi Hawley recently updated everyone on its status.
Speaking with Deadline about The Rookie‘s Season 7 finale on May 13, Hawley was asked to share what he could about the new spin-off, which was first announced last December. Fans hoping that it will hit the airwaves sooner rather than later will be disappointed, though, as he revealed that it’s still in the script-writing stage:
“I’ve been going back and there’s a script, I’ve been doing some drafts and getting some notes. You know me, I’m a hopeful person, so I remain hopeful. I mean, it would be a great thing. So let’s see.”
Not much is known about the new spin-off of The Rookie, other than that it will be set in Washington state and focus on a “male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act.” It looks like it’s still a long way away, however, as not only is it still being written, but ABC has yet to officially greenlight the show. That’s understandable, as though The Rookie: Feds had a strong showing in the ratings and was the unfortunate victim of the writer’s strike, many fans complained that it just wasn’t living up to its potential, so for a new spin-off to get the go-ahead, it’s going to have to be something special.
‘The Rookie’ Is Still Going Strong
Turning our attention to the flagship series, you’d think that after seven seasons it might be experiencing a bit of a slump, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Rookie was recently renewed for an eighth outing, and fans are still digging the adventures of Nolan and the gang, as is evident by its strong Season 7 Rotten Tomatoes score. With a Popcornmeter rating of 83%, user Rosell F says:
“This is an amazing show! It’s very entertaining and they do a great job with the relationships between characters! This is one of the only shows I really like and get excited to watch new episodes! I also love the humor! Recommend watching this!”
“Every episode of Season 7 of The Rookie has been fantastic,” added Desmaine T. Over on IMDb, fans are equally thrilled with the show, as one user recently rated it a 10/10, saying that it’s “the best series I have ever watched.” We wouldn’t go that far, but it’s definitely pretty darn good.
If you’ve yet to check it out, or just want to rewatch the series from the beginning, all seven seasons of The Rookie are now available to stream on Hulu. We’ll have more news on the potential spin-off series as it becomes available.
