The Rookie is heading north as ABC has officially handed a pilot order to a new spin-off, The Rookie: North. The first casting announcement has also arrived, with Jay Ellis set to lead the series. The role marks Ellis’s latest addition to his expanding list of small-screen projects. His name reportedly rose to the top during the search for a high-profile actor to anchor the new spin-off. Ellis is already juggling roles in Peacock’s limited series All Her Fault and Netflix’s workplace comedy Running Point, and he recently joined Hulu’s upcoming comedy Not Suitable for Work. All three projects will sit alongside his starring turn in The Rookie: North, making this one of the busiest chapters of his career yet.
The Rookie: North looks to follow in the footsteps of the flagship series, centering on another “old rookie,” but trading Los Angeles for the quieter, rural landscapes of Washington. The move has sparked some chatter among fans who worry the premise might feel a little too familiar, but creator Alexi Hawley has reassured viewers that the new show will bring its own fresh energy and twists. Ellis steps in as the new lead, Alex Holland — a fun nod to Hawley himself, and a surname that subtly plays on Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan from the original series. The premise for The Rookie: North 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.”
Ellis first broke out in a big way on Issa Rae’s HBO hit Insecure, and he’s been on a steady rise ever since. He’s become a sought-after talent with some high-profile feature appearances under his belt. His biggest big-screen project remains the 2022 blockbuster action film Top Gun: Maverick, in which he played the role of the confident pilot Lieutenant Reuben “Payback” Fitch. Ellis has also appeared in the movies Somebody I Used to Know, Freaky Tales, and The Gutter. While The Rookie: North marks his first lead role in a procedural, it won’t be his first brush with the genre, as he previously popped up in both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles.
When Will ‘The Rookie: North’ Begin Filming?
Hawley previously indicated that production was expected to begin in late winter or early spring, and that timeline still appears to be on track. If the pilot delivers for ABC’s decision-makers, the project is well-positioned for a full series order, with a potential premiere slated for the subsequent television season.
The Rookie: North becomes the second official spin-off in The Rookie franchise, following The Rookie: Feds, which was canceled after a single season. With the franchise open to exploring additional expansions, hopefully, North will perform more strongly and help solidify the groundwork for future entries. More updates will follow as development progresses, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, The Rookie returns for Season 8 on January 6.
- Release Date
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October 16, 2018
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
