Alexi Hawley’s next project has just secured a pilot order from ABC.
The Castle, Body of Proof, and The Rookie scribe will be the driving force behind The Rookie: North if the series should be picked up.
This potential new series, a spin-off from ABC’s long-running Nathan Fillion-starring The Rookie, will see Jay Ellis (Running Point, All Her Fault) headlining as Alex Holland, another fish out of water middle-aged man who finds himself as the oldest rookie on the force in rural Washington state.
The loglines read as follows: 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.
The series looks to be sticking closely to the format of the original series. ABC’s other spin-off series The Rookie: Feds, starring Niecy Nash as the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy, was canceled after just one season in 2023.
Ellis can be seen in Hulu’s upcoming comedy series Not Suitable For Work in addition to Netflix’s Running Point.
The Rookie: North is ABC’s second drama pilot of the season. It joins the Scott Speedman-starring R.J. Decker (working title), which was recently picked up to series. Based on the Carl Hiaasen novel “Double Whammy,” R.J. Decker follows a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator. The series will see Decker, his journalist ex, her police detective wife, and a mysterious new benefactor take on strange weekly cases in South Florida.
Meanwhile, Season 8 of The Rookie premieres on Jan. 6, 2026 on ABC.
