ABC Orders The Rookie Spinoff to Series, Plus Gina Rodriguez Comedy and Hilary Swank Drama
ABC is enlisting a spinoff of The Rookie, as well as bringing back a couple of familiar faces on new shows.
The network has handed series orders to three shows for next season, led by The Rookie: Feds, an offshoot of the Nathan Fillion-led ABC procedural, TVLine has learned. Niecy Nash-Betts will star as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy; the character made her debut in a two-part backdoor pilot that aired on The Rookie earlier this season. (TVLine readers gave Part 1 an average grade of “B,” while the conclusion earned a “B-‘: 76 percent said they would definitely or maybe watch the spinoff, if ordered to series.)
The backdoor pilot’s Frankie Faison (The Wire) and Felix Solis (Ozark) will continue on as Cutty and Agent Garza, but Kat Foster’s role (as Agent Fox) is not moving forward, TVLine hears.
Also coming to ABC next season: Not Dead Yet, a comedy starring Jane the Virgin alum Gina Rodriguez as Nell, “a broke and newly single self-described disaster,” per the official description. When she’s forced to take a job writing obituaries, “Nell starts getting life advice from an unlikely source.” The cast also includes Joshua Banday (Upload) and Angela Gibbs (Hacks, On My Block).
Plus, ABC ordered Alaska, a drama starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) as a disgraced reporter who moves from New York to join a daily newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska “on a journey to find both personal and professional redemption.” Jeff Perry (Scandal), Matt Malloy (Six Feet Under) and Meredith Holzman (Law & Order: SVU) lead the supporting cast; Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) will serve as creator and executive producer.
Earlier on Friday, ABC renewed five of its veteran shows: dramas Big Sky (for Season 3) and A Million Little Things (for Season 5), and comedies The Conners (for Season 5), Home Economics (for Season 3) and The Wonder Years (for Season 2). To find out what else has been renewed and cancelled for next season, check out TVLine’s handy-dandy Renewal Scorecard.
Which of these three ABC newcomers will you be adding to your watch list? Hit the comments and share your first impressions.
Sounds like the L.A. Law reboot will not be happening on ABC.
All seem viable. I miss the huge push for the new fall season. All the network promos celebrating the stars and programs. Still the One. NBC Us. We’re the Ones. They really built interest and loyalty.
I’m interested to see who else from the Rookie: Feds backdoor pilot carries over to the series.
Probably Kat Foster as Agent Fox – they certainly seemed to be setting up her backstory and rapport with Simone.
It also seemed like Tim’s CIA friend Kate, who got burned and fired in the episode, was being set up as a recurring character. I wonder whether the FBI would bring her on as their “shady spy stuff” consultant.
And we also learned that the lead agent’s assistant is his niece; that seems like a character they’ll definitely include.
The article specifically says that Foster’s Agent Fox is not carrying over to the series.
Interesting. It definitely did not say that when I made my initial comment. I’m a bit disappointed – seemed like there was some story potential there.
Not at all interested in The Rookie spin off. It us hard to take her seriously.. calling him. “Hey handsome”… what kind of professional. ..especially a rookie agent working at making her way..talks and acts like that!..
It reminds me of the lady cop in Law and Order Organjzed Crime.. surely we can add a stronger character than this. I do not watch Organized Crime nor will I watch the FBI sp I n off..
Oof — who is two-time Oscar winner Miss Swank’s agent? That show sounds beneath her!
This doesn’t sound like such a bad part — at least the show is all about her character. Oscar-nominated Virginia Madsen, a fantastic actress, gets parts like the fourth lead on the ridiculous “Swamp Thing” series. There still aren’t a lot of great leading movie roles for women over 45.
Not at all. Her previous show was cancelled and she has done cable. A show on ABC is not a step below.
Seems like The Rookie formula could support a few more spin-offs. Think about the opposite of Doogie Howser – a hospital show with someone who switches careers to medicine late and is the oldest intern.
So Carol’s Second Act?
I completely forgot about that show! Thanks for the trip down Recent Memory Lane.
I wanted to like that because Patricia Heaton is usually gold. But CSA was written so badly I didn’t get through the first episode.
To each their own. At this point, given the present American broadcast TV landscape, I would not be surprised. Still, though I may be in the minority, as a former medical professional, I would prefer TR formula of frequent absurdities and inaccuracies not be extended into a medicine-centered spin-off. Ditto for my beloved fire service. Though, to be fair, several such shows centered on both fields already exist, unfortunately.
Snore. Thank goodness for streaming channels.
I won’t be watching any of the new shows. I know I am probably in the minority but I wish they would cancel Christopher Meloni’s Organized Crime. Not a fan.
I wish they would bring back Longmire and Deputy. I really like New Amsterdam. Ryan Egold is so much better in that than The Blacklist.
Ure not a fan of a show, why not just stop watching? Why wish it gets cancelled when it doesnt affect u. It makes no sense
Sweetie, why would you wish for a show to be canceled just because you don’t like it? Are you so self-centered that you are unable to allow other people to enjoy what they enjoy? You need to seek professional counseling. I hope you don’t have children; if you do, I feel very, very, very sorry for those poor kids who aren’t allowed to enjoy something their narcissistic mother doesn’t like.
Any word on Pine Valley, the possible All My Children re-boot?
I want to know too!!
Oh man does this mean Hilary swank won’t be on Cobra Kai ?
…baffling ratings aside, I am flabbergasted that TR spin-off was picked up: I found the writing on those backdoor pilot episodes to be awful – not just the moments of utter absurd fantasy – and in other ways, the entries were, on the whole, fumbles. The quality of the now-flagship show itself peaked in s3 and has been struggling since. Decisions regarding American broadcast network scripted TV continue to confound me (I know, I know, ratings, money, sports are the financial lifeblood of networks etc.).
Alaska sounds very Men In Trees-esque.
Exactly what I thought when I read it.
I hope it is revealed that it exists in the universe of 2002’s Imsomnia, the often forgotten Christopher Nolan thriller. Her cop character left for NY to become a journalist, but now she’s back and there’s a new serial killer.
I’ll try out Not Dead Yet since I’m a Gina Rodriguez fan (and terribly short on comedies), unless the trailer looks awful.
I can’t with her since she made that Obama video where she encouraged non citizens to vote anyway (and so did he, but phrased in in a clever way).
None of these “new” shows look promising IMO.
I have no interest in a Rookie spinoff with Niecy Nash. The episodes of the Rookie with her character were really bad.
Definitely NOT The Rookie spin-off. Too annoying!! Maybe the Hilary Swank show. Could be interesting!!
I could barely get through the Rookies spinoff episodes, don’t know if it was drama or comedy with Necisy Nash. Not interested. The Rookie show has turned into a “soap opera”…stick to crime solving, forget the personal life issues.
I love Nathan Fillion, but have never felt that The Rookie was a good fit for him. He’d be better in a reboot of Burke’s Law or maybe Hart to Hart [with someone like Amy Acker or Brooke Burns as his better half]. He’s out of his element in TR. JMO
I agree he’s underused on Rookie. A long time back there was an adventure series called Mr. Lucky about a guy who owned a floating casino. That would work as well as the Hart to Hart; not sure about Burke’s Law which if I remember correctly was about a millionaire cop.
I can’t wait for the new spinoff The Rookie. I’m mad that they cancelled the endgame, the Legends, and Batwoman.
The backdoor pilot for the FBI Rookie was soooooo bad, the actress is really poorly cast and the writing of her presumably new colleagues was terrible. I’ll be skipping that one.
I think she was wonderful, but maybe she was too much woman, too bi- for some males.
What an odd comment, why would anyone care that her character is bi? I certainly don’t! Maybe if she tones down some of the terrible over-acting it’ll be tolerable but I wouldn’t watch until there’s a season 2 renewal which feels unlikely.
I can’t find any reference to the actual episode number/name of the backdoor pilot for NOT DEAD YET. You refer to it as part 1 (with no link), but no searches bring up anything but the original ROOKIE pilot.