While The Rookie Season 8 will premiere on ABC on January 6, 2026, a spin-off of the show, The Rookie: North, is also in the works. The show is being developed by Alexi Hawley, who also created the flagship series, and will star Jay Ellis as the lead character, Alex Holland.The actor recently confirmed his involvement publicly through a light-hearted Instagram post that included screenshots of the casting reports. The post also featured a video of Nathan Fillion welcoming him to the franchise. His post marks the first time Ellis has publicly spoken about joining The Rookie universe.Jay Ellis' reaction to being cast in The Rookie: NorthEven though The Rookie Season 8 has not yet premiered for the 2025–2026 TV broadcast schedule, the franchise is already developing the spin-off. Filming for The Rookie: North is expected to begin in late winter or early spring 2026.The new spin-off will follow a familiar format like the flagship series, but it will instead be set in a suburban area in the Pacific Northwest. The goal is to create a regional counterpart to what Nathan Fillion brings to the flagship series, and that responsibility now falls to Jay Ellis through his character, Alex Holland. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJay Ellis has recently addressed his casting in the show publicly through an Instagram post. His post featured screenshots of the announcement and a video of Nathan Fillion welcoming him to the franchise. In his caption, the actor wrote:"Yes, I'm the newest officer. No, I still don't know where my locker is. And also does anyone know where l can get bulk ice for my soon to be daily ice bath for my knees and back?Thank you @alexihawley and @nathanfillion for the welcome to #TheRookieABC family."The message showed that he is excited to join the franchise. It also referenced some of the challenges rookies of the main show go through, since his character will likely go through the same. According to Deadline, Alex Holland’s character has been described as:Alex Holland (Ellis) 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. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWith The Rookie Season 8 arriving on January 6, 2026, fans might be hoping for an early crossover. However, since the two shows take place in different states, any interaction between the departments is unlikely and would require a lot of planning. While Ellis is officially cast as the lead, other characters of the show are yet to be cast, or perhaps they are, but it’s just not public yet.Still, it will be interesting to see who plays whom in the spin-off, since a good ensemble is necessary to create a police procedural show, especially one whose flagship series is so widely popular.The Rookie premieres on ABC on January 6, 2026, at 8 pm ET.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.