New “The Rookies: North” Details Revealed
One of the most popular drama series to be released on ABC is “The Rookie”, which has been running for eight years and follows John Nolan, who was once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, now uses his life experience, determination and sense of humour to keep up with rookies 20+ years his junior. John and the team must navigate the intense, unpredictable nature of their jobs and personal challenges, while uplifting the next generation of first responders.
Following the popularity of “The Rookie”, last year, it was revealed that a new spin-off show called “The Rookie: North” was in development, with Jay Ellis leading the series as the main character. “The Rookie” creator, executive producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley, will also be working on the spinoff.
This new series follows Alex Holland, who believed his midlife 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 sceptical training officer, his fellow rookies, and himself that he’s finally found something worthy of the fight.
During a recent interview with Deadline to promote the season eight premiere of “The Rookie”, new details on the spinoff were confirmed. Preparation work for the new show has already begun, and work is set to resume in Vancouver, Canada, later this month before filming on the pilot is set to begin at the end of February. Casting is still underway on the show.
Alexi also shared some insight into the spin-off, especially with how it will differ from his other shows:
“I don’t actually see us as a procedural, I see this as a patrol show. I think ultimately, what I got excited about was, I think every patrol cop show versus a procedural has really been big-city oriented, New York, Boston, Chicago, LA, so I like the idea that this place is a bigger slice of America, where people live. The county that they’re policing does include Tacoma, so there is some urban but at the same time, it’s also the suburbs and the exurbs, and it’s also the meth lab in the woods, and a National Park, and there’s a military base. That sort of county is really interesting.”
Being located in a different environment, the new spin-off will also see other changes, such as taking longer for backup to arrive.
“I thought it would just immediately set the show apart visually and then thematically; I think our lead, the character that Jay plays, is a guy who never really found something he’s passionate about before this. “And part of that has to do with a tragedy in his past, which we get into a little bit. So that was a little bit of a different way in, it is a guy who’s a little more lost. I think Nathan’s character was a successful professional, obviously blue collar or whatever, he was just a little lost after his divorce and everything. But this is just a little different.”
As with any spin-off, there are possibilities that the two shows might mix characters; however, the location differences of Los Angeles and Vancouver will make it tougher.
Should the pilot get picked up for a full series, we should expect to see it released on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ in the United States next year. Internationally, the release is a little less straightforward, as Disney’s 20th Television is making it with Lionsgate Television, who distribute the main “Rookie” show. Hopefully, Disney has already organised to have global streaming rights to “The Rookie: North”, prior to it being made.
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