The US series The Rookie has been enjoying great popularity for six seasons now – not least because of the charismatic police rookie John Nolan, played by Nathan Fillion. It is precisely this man who manages to lure millions of viewers to their screens with his professional and private adventures and keep them waiting for more.
For example, there is currently a lot of discussion about when seasons 5 and 6 will finally make it to Netflix. After all, they are currently only available on WOW (and season 5 on Disney+). The Rookie has triggered a real hype and was also able to achieve an impressive 7.2 out of 10 points from the Moviepilot community.
According to The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley, the ending was of an economic nature
The prospects for a possible spin-off of the dramedy series were therefore quite good, which is why it was actually realized with The Rookie: Feds 2022. The American actress Niecy Nash played the older FBI rookie Simone Clark and thus formed the counterpart to John Nolan. However, without building on his popularity, because the The spin-off series ended after just one season.
ABC
The Rookie: Feds started in 2022
Alexi Hawley, who came up with the idea for The Rookie: Feds, explained after some speculation about the early end of the series that it was not a creative decision but a business one. In an interview with Deadline in February, he said: “A lot of it had to do with the forces that led to the strike… the consolidation of the industry, the economic impact of the streaming wars on various companies.”
By strikes, he is likely referring to the labor disputes in Hollywood that took place between May and November 2023 and were intended to ensure better conditions in the entertainment industry.
The Rookie: Feds flopped in terms of ratings
However, the modest ratings may have been a reason for the cancellation of The Rookie: Feds. the series reached an average of “only” 4.3 million viewers and a demo rating of 0.5. In comparison, The Rookie had nearly 6 million viewers in its sixth season and was one of the most watched series on ABC.
However, fans of The Rookie: Feds do not have to do without their series favorites entirely, as they occasionally appear in the 6th season of The Rookie and are not excluded from further seasons of the original.
The stars from the main series contradict each other regarding the series ending
The early end of The Rookie: Feds is sad but still leaves many viewers – and the actors from the original (The Rookie) are also disappointed. For example, Nathan Fillion told The Hollywood Reporter:
It wasn’t because of anything The Rookie: Feds did, but because of the Circumstances of the strikeand it was sobering to know that it could have happened to any of us.
In doing so, he agrees with Alexi Hawley’s theories. His series colleague Eric Winter, who plays police officer Tim Bradford, told RadioTimes:
Feds had his own flowwhich was a little different from the original series. […] A possible new spin-off would therefore be “more in line with the cadence and flow of our series.
He also seems to see the reason for the series’ end in the creative implementation.