Summary
- Alexi Hawley hinted at a potential spinoff script during an interview.
- The original spinoff, "The Rookie: Feds," was canceled due to modest ratings.
- "The Rookie" season 8 was confirmed, but the spinoff's future remains uncertain.
The Rookie season 7 has continued the ABC procedural's tradition of smart characters investigating a new case every week. Since the show about cheerful rookie cop John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) has been such a big hit, does that mean there could be a new spinoff? Showrunner Alexi Hawley recently gave an interview and spoke about whether the new show can still happen.
In December 2024, Variety reported that The Rookie spinoff was in the "early development" stage and would be about a male police officer who, like Nathan Fillion's character John Nolan, is changing careers. While the original series is set in Los Angeles, the spinoff would take place in Washington. Since there hasn't been a major update since then, fans who are enjoying The Rookie season 7 will want to hear what Hawley had to say.
'It’ll Be A Big Action Movie' The Rookie Showrunner Teases Season 7 Finale (& A Potential Character Return)
The Rookie season 7 finale promises to be epic and fun, and showrunner Alexi Hawley shared some of what viewers can expect.
What Did Showrunner Alexi Hawley Say About The Rookie Spinoff?
In an interview with TV Insider, The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley commented on whether there will be a spinoff of the popular procedural. Hawley said:
"just that there’s a script that I’ve been going back and forth with ABC about. They give notes and I do the work and I’m an ever-hopeful human being. And so I would love nothing more than to expand the universe and go make it."
Hawley continued:
"So we’ll see. I don’t know. I mean the business right now is a little what it is, but I mean, I remain hopeful. We’ll see what happens.”
The Rookie season 7 premiered in January 2025. Recent episodes have explored the personal lives of Nolan and his wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) and also given a big update on the unsettling character Seth Ridley (Patrick Kehler), whose dishonesty caused a riff between him and the LAPD officers. Given the mix of cheerful characters like Nolan and villains who stop by every once in a while, fans would likely be happy to tune into another series.
The Rookie already had one spinoff called The Rookie: Feds, which aired for one season from September 2022 to May 2023. The series followed Simone Clark (Niecy Nash-Betts), who becomes an FBI special agent when she is 48. Other cast members included Felix Solis, Kevin Zegers, Britt Robertson, James Lesure, and Frankie Falson. Deadline reported the show's cancellation in November 2023. The publication called the ratings "modest" and said it might have gotten a season 2, but unfortunately, the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes appear to have affected that choice.
Hawley told Deadline in February 2024, "It was a treat for us. We love that show … it’s all I can really say.” Based on those comments, it's easy to imagine that the showrunner would be happy to continue telling more stories about a new rookie.
Besides creating The Rookie's optimistic TV world, Hawley was the showrunner for the Netflix thriller The Recruit, which ran for two seasons before being canceled. He also wrote several episodes of the Kevin Williamson-created horror series The Following, which starred Kevin Bacon.
The Rookie's season 7 ratings have been great, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, episode 11, "Speed," which aired on March 25th, 2025, had particularly high ratings. Over three days of viewership on all platforms, the episode had 8.25 million total viewers. In April 2025, Deadline reported that The Rookie received a renewal for season 8. While it's unclear if The Rookie spinoff will happen, at least fans know that there will be more stories involving Nolan and his team in the future.
The Rookie season 7 airs on Tuesday evenings on ABC, and the season finale is up next.
- Release Date
- October 16, 2018
- Network
- ABC
- Showrunner
- Alexi Hawley
Cast
-
Nathan FillionJohn Nolan -
Melissa O'NeilLucy Chen
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
- Writers
- Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
- Creator(s)
- Alexi Hawley
'Yeah, It Was a Little Too Real' The Rookie Star Shares How His Return in Season 7 Episode 16 Was Supposed to Start
The Rookie season 7, episode 16, "The Return," brought back a complicated character, and the star has shared more about this episode.
Source: TVinsider.com