Nathan Fillion's 8-Season Crime Thriller Gets Hit By Major Setback In Its Expansion Plans

Published May 9, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

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Alexi Hawley is once again trying to launch a new spinoff of The Rookie, featuring Jay Ellis' Alex Holland going through a disappointing midlife crisis when he is forced to find a new life purpose. The premise is inspired by Fillion's experience as John Nolan in the flagship, and like him, this results in his Pacific Northwest counterpart joining Pierce County Police as its youngest rookie. It has been weeks of waiting for ABC's verdict on The Rookie: North, but as the network continues to be mum, a different decision directly impacts its chances of moving forward.

RJ Decker Season 2's Renewal Is Concerning For The Rookie: North's Order Chances

On the heels of ABC ending the majority of its big hits during the first week of May, the Disney-owned network has also confirmed a few more renewals for the 2026-2027 TV cycle. That includes the news that Scott Speedman's RJ Decker is coming back for season 2. This is great news for the freshman investigative procedural, but in the bigger scheme of things, this is a major blow to The Rookie: North.

For context, a report from Deadline has claimed that the chances of the Hawley-created offshoot happening hinge on the fate of Speedman's series, as ABC only had a single one-hour timeslot left in its 2026-2027 TV cycle. This means that when it came to the decision, it would be one or the other, and since RJ Decker is now officially moving forward, it is casting doubts about whether The Rookie: North is still happening — at least in the upcoming season.

During the last few months, both stars and the creative talent behind the spinoff have expressed their excitement over offshoot, promising that people will love it. The pilot has already been shot, including at least a single The Rookie crossover episode, which is definitely exciting. Now, however, it's curious what the future looks like for the series.

What Are The Chances Of The Rookie: North Still Happening?

Although RJ Decker's season 2 renewal is concerning for The Rookie: North's fate, there's still another way for Hawley's project to push forward. It's possible that ABC is exploring the idea of timeslot sharing for the shows, which means that both projects will be part of their 2026-2027 TV cycle, but instead of the usual full season order that consists of 18–22 episodes, they will both have reduced outputs, around 10-13. This way, when one show wraps up its run early, the other can take over its primetime block.

This is a growing trend in the network TV space, with CBS reducing episodes for NCIS spinoffs, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney, next cycle. Doing this allows the network to fit all of their projects without fully axing shows just because there's no more available timeslot next. Admittedly, it isn't ideal, but at this point, it's better than The Rookie spinoff not happening at all.

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