“We are gearing up”: The Rookie spin-off gets a major update from showrunner

In December 2024, it was reported that The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley was developing a spin-off to the police procedural drama. While the show has not been officially greenlit by ABC, Hawley has shared some updates about the project in the past few months.

In July 2025, the tentative title of the series was revealed as The Rookie: North. The showrunner has now shared another major update about the show, revealing when he is planning to shoot the pilot.

In an interview with Deadline, Hawley stated that the team is already gearing up for production, and the pilot will be shot in late winter or the spring of 2026. He stated:

“I think we are looking at shooting a pilot in the spring or late winter, so we are gearing up for that.”

The Rookie: North pilot to be shot in early 2026

As of now, ABC has not ordered a pilot for The Rookie: North, but the team is hopeful that the project will be greenlit. They are now preparing to begin filming by the end of this winter or in spring 2026.

Like the original show, the spin-off will also revolve around a middle-aged man who becomes a rookie cop. But while the mothership series is set in Los Angeles, the spin-off takes place in Washington state.

The lead, tentatively named Alex, has been described as a former overachiever who joins the police department and becomes a rookie officer in his 40s after his life takes an unexpected turn.

Alexi Hawley previously talked about the project in an interview with TV Insider in May this year. At the time, he revealed that he was having discussions with ABC about the script:

“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. 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 showrunner further teased that The Rookie: North will try to recreate the same magic as the original:

“All I can really say is, I think the magic of Rookie does live in the fact that anytime they get out of their police cars, anything can happen. And I think that that’s something that I would try and replicate in a spinoff.”

The show’s cast has not been announced yet. Meanwhile, The Rookie has so far aired seven seasons and has already been renewed for an eighth installment, which is slated to premiere on ABC in January 2026. The show focuses on John Nolan, a man from Pennsylvania who starts his police career at the age of 45.

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The series stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, along with Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, and Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers.

The Rookie is available to stream on Hulu.

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