Posted in: ABC, TV | Tagged: The Rookie, The Rookie North
The Rookie: North Star Jay Ellis Shares Behind-The-Scenes Video Tour
With production on the spinoff officially underway, check out the behind-the-scenes video shared by ABC's The Rookie: North star Jay Ellis.
Article Summary
- The Rookie: North star Jay Ellis celebrates filming start with a behind-the-scenes video tour of the new ABC spinoff.
- The Rookie: North premieres midseason in 2027 as The Rookie universe expands alongside the flagship series’ season 9.
- Alexi Hawley teases The Rookie: North will blend action, scary Pacific Northwest vibes, and the franchise’s fun tone.
- The Rookie: North season 1 may feature crossovers, with Hawley hinting Tim and Lucy could head north for a visit.
Fans of ABC and Showrunner Alexi Hawley's The Rookie universe already know that 2027 is going to be a very big year for the franchise. Along with the flagship series kicking off its ninth season, the Jay Ellis-starring spinoff, The Rookie: North, is set to make its midseason premiere. With that in mind, Ellis has taken to social media to not only celebrate the start of filming, but also offers a video tour behind the scenes of the first season.

The spinoff introduces Alex Holland (Ellis), who believed his midlife 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 a rookie. 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.
@therookieuniverse Welcome to set, Rookie. 😏 #TheRookieNorth is officially in production!
Heading into The Rookie panel during San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), Hawley offered some new insights into the spinoff series – and dropped a ten-ton hint that Tim (Eric Winter) and Lucy (Melissa O'Neil) might be making a visit up north during the first season.

Hawley on What He Wants Fans to Take Away From "The Rookie: North": "You'll definitely be invested in all of their journeys. The three rookies have journeys that are exciting to go on. Maya's character has a real emotional moment in the pilot, which I think is really captivating and powerful. And, as with anything, you wanna see them succeed in a job that's really hard and challenging. The pilot itself has some great action, and has some real sort of scary moments as well. The Pacific Northwest, it does have a darkness to it that's just different than L.A. It's dynamic and creepy in a way that stands alone. And we're still having fun, we're still doing, as I said before, dumb criminals. So it stands on its own for sure and is very fun."
Hawley on Nathan Fillion and Jay Ellis Appearing Together: "There's nothing more rewarding than a second spinoff of your baby, a second child, so to speak. And so, it's great. And they're a treat together for sure. I'm hoping to get more of it as we go forward; it's a real treat to see them together."
Hawley Has Crossovers Already Planned – Including "Chenford"??? "It's tougher. I mean, with 'Feds,' which was set in L.A. literally on the same lot as us, the, the crossovers were easier. But we do have other ones planned, which I don't wanna spoil. In season 1, we're mindful of how to keep it feeling organic. And it is a plane ride away, it's not an easy crossover. So, I think we wanna make them impactful because we can't do them every other episode. But at the same time, we're definitely planning to collide those worlds where we can," Hawley shared, before adding, "I do think we need to get Chenford in the mix up in North at some point in season 1. Yes, I said it out loud, there you go!"









