ABC Expands The Rookie Franchise with Season 9 and New Spin-Off

ABC has renewed its police drama The Rookie for a ninth season and introduced a new spin-off, The Rookie: North, set to air in 2027, expanding the series' universe beyond Los Angeles.

The original show stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department, combining police action with personal and character-driven stories. Season 9 will address the cliffhanger ending of Season 8, where characters Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen were abducted and injected with an unknown substance.

The Rookie: North shifts the setting to the Pacific Northwest, following Jay Ellis as Alex Holland, who joins the Pierce County Police Department after a violent home invasion, mirroring Nolan's late career change. The new series explores urban and rural policing in a coastal and forested environment, with a cast including Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe, and Malik Watson.

Showrunner Alexi Hawley explained that The Rookie: North will connect to the original series, with Nolan mentoring Holland and Nathan Fillion appearing in the spin-off's premiere. This sets up potential crossover storylines between Los Angeles and the Pacific Northwest.

ABC's commitment to the franchise reflects its strong performance, ranking fourth in the network's 2025–26 multiplatform ratings for adults aged 18–49, according to internationalsupermarketnews.com.

Cher Thompson, a senior staff writer at Screen Rant, noted that Season 9 aims to re-center John Nolan's character by having him mentor a new rookie in the Mid-Wilshire division. This adjustment seeks to restore Nolan’s role as a perpetual learner and mentor, focusing on his core strengths rather than pushing him into larger case stories.

"The next installment of the series could easily make a major shift when it comes to Nolan and the way his character impacts the larger story," said Thompson.

Thompson added, "Nolan being grounded again is the right move," highlighting the importance of Nolan’s mentorship and personal life challenges, including his marriage to Bailey Nune.

The Rookie franchise thus prepares for a broader future, combining Season 9's continuation of Nolan's story with the fresh perspective and setting of The Rookie: North, potentially creating an interconnected television universe.