Disney Orders “The Rookie: North” To A Series

May 11, 2026 Roger Palmer

Just ahead of Disney’s Upfront presentation on Tuesday in New York, Disney has announced that it has picked up “The Rookie” spinoff series, “The Rookie: North”, for a full season after a successful pilot.

Expanding the universe, “The Rookie: North” introduces Alex Holland, 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.

The all-new series stars Jay Ellis, Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe and Malik Watson.

“The Rookie: North” is a spinoff of “The Rookie,” the long‑running hit series that was created by Alexi Hawley and recently renewed for a ninth season at ABC. Both series are produced by Lionsgate Television in partnership with 20th Television. Alexi Hawley will serve as executive producer and writer, with Nathan Fillion, Mark Gordon, Bill Norcross and Michelle Chapman also executive producing. Jay Ellis is a producer.

According to Deadline, the new series is set to premiere during the 2026/27 winter season on ABC, Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ in the United States. It will consist of ten episodes and is expected to have some crossovers with the original series, but due to the location being different, one in Vancouver, another in Los Angeles, it’s unlikely to be as frequent as it was with the other spinoff series, “The Rookie: Feds”.

It also isn’t clear if the show will air back-to-back or on different nights, but it will run concurrently, allowing for some integrated storylines

Apparently, the decision on the pickup was only just made in time for the Upfront event in New York, since the show is being made by Lionsgate. That will also potentially have an impact on whether the show will be distributed by Disney+ globally, since “The Rookie” currently isn’t released globally on Disney+.

Roger’s Take: With the success of “The Rookie”, it makes some sense to expand the franchise further. With a fresh cast and a different location, it can tap into the existing fanbase while also being different enough to stand on its own.

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