This fall, The Rookie universe expands again with a new spinoff series.
The Rookie: North, as it is called, is the second attempt by ABC to build The Rookieverse after The Rookie: Feds was canceled in 2023.
Starring Jay Ellis as Alex Holland, the new show follows a premise similar to the flagship series, about a man facing a midlife crisis that forces him to make a radical change.
While John Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) midlife pivot was sparked by a bank robbery, Holland’s catalyst is far more intimate — a violent home invasion that awakens a dormant drive, landing him in the Pierce County Police Department as a rookie in his 40s
“Policing from the urban coast to the rural forest where backup isn’t just five 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,” part of the show’s official logline explains.
The Rookie: North also stars Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe, and Malik Watson.
But since 2021, The Rookie has been plagued by a problem that it has never fixed, and The Rookie: North has the opportunity to do it.
‘The Rookie’ Universe Still Has a Gay Problem
In The Rookie Season 4 premiere, original cast member Titus Makin Jr. exited the series, and his character was shockingly killed off.
The move came out of nowhere and left many wondering what had happened, even as Alexi Hawley claimed that Makin Jr. had refused to return for another season.
The true fallout from the narrative was felt in the subsequent seasons. Jackson’s abrupt departure stripped one of network TV’s most diverse procedurals of a crucial pillar: organic Black, queer representation.
The Rookie has never found a permanent gay character, and even after Niecy Nash-Betts brought queer energy to The Rookie: Feds, the show did not last long.
However, the casting in The Rookie: North provides an excellent opportunity for the show to right the wrongs of its predecessor.
In an era where audiences demand authentic casting, Gutierrez’s character, Odell Chance, represents a clean slate. Whether the series positions him as a spiritual successor to Jackson’s grounded advocacy or carves out an entirely new path, the potential is undeniable
The actor is out and has been in a relationship with Zane Phillips.
While in the past actors struggled with playing queer characters because it could out them, that’s not the case with Guttierez.
There is a distinct, undeniable shift when a queer character is portrayed by an openly out actor like Gutierrez. It eliminates the straight-washing lens that often dilutes network characters.
It ensures that whether Odell is dealing with romance, community advocacy, or professional friction, the performance is anchored in genuine authenticity rather than a straight writers’ room’s idea of what a queer man sounds like.
Details about his character aren’t out yet, but one can hope for more queer representation in The Rookieverse, because it’s past time.
The 10-episode first season of The Rookie: North premieres in January 2027.
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