‘The Rookie’ Gets Crossovers With Spinoff ‘North’, First Has Been Shot

With ABC’s upfront presentation only 10 days away, the network is expected to make a decision on its drama pilot The Rookie: North in the coming week. The Rookie spinoff remains in strong contention as evidenced by the fact that ABC only passed on its other pilot, comedy pilot Do You Want Kids?, earlier this week. (Broadcast networks often make pass calls first before they proceed with pickups.)

As Deadline has reported, it has come down to The Rookie: North, starring Jay Ellis, and freshman series R.J. Decker, starring Scott Speedman. It could be one or the other, with The Rookie: North having a slight edge, or both with reduced orders (and other returning series possibly getting an episode order haircut) to make the budget work.

A big selling point for The Rookie: North is the crossover possibilities with the mothership The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion, which has been renewed for a ninth season. Crossovers continue to do well as marketing stunts that drive up viewership. ABC did them with Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 as well as The Rookie and former spinoff The Rookie: Feds; 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville did a crossover event this season.

If The Rookie: North is picked up to series, expect crossovers, The Rookie and The Rookie: North creator, executive producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley said. That will kick off right off the bat as The Rookie: North pilot features an appearance by Fillion as his Rookie character John Nolan. (Fillion also executive produces the spinoff.)

“I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say, there’s a bit of crossover with Nathan in the pilot,” Hawley said in an interview with Deadline tied to the Season 8 finale of The Rookie. “Beyond that, organic opportunities, for sure, it’s harder obviously, with the Vancouver or the Pacific Northwest of it all and LA. Feds was designed on purpose with a lot of crossovers.”

The Rookie is set and films in Los Angeles. The Rookie: North is set in the Pacific Northwest and films in Vancouver. Like The Rookie, short-lived spinoff The Rookie: Feds was based in Los Angeles.

“I think ultimately it was less important for the network that that be a factor in, like a certain number a season which I think freezes up to a certain extent, we don’t have to do that, but I’m looking for ways to cross over in both directions; honestly, I think you have to do that,” Hawley said. “I don’t think it’ll be a multitude a season, but I think maybe a couple episodes, or two or three episodes a season. You find a storyline that crosses over, it would be kind of fun.”

The Rookie: North centers on Alex Holland (Ellis) who 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.

“The pilot came out great,” Hawley told Deadline earlier this month. “The network seems super happy with it. You never know until you know but we have a really amazing cast, led by Jay Ellis who’s a star; it was a joy to make that with him and the rest of them.”

Ellis also gave the pilot his stamp of approval.

“I have seen the pilot twice, I think it’s great,” he recently told Deadline. “I think you’re gonna fall in love with all these characters.”

The Rookie Season 8 finale premieres May 4 at 10 PM on ABC and next day on Hulu. Check back on Deadline for Hawley’s postmortem interview, which will run immediately after the episode airs on the East Coast.