Popular police procedural series “The Rookie” gets spinoff set in Pierce County
Move over “Tacoma FD”: a new first responder TV series set in Pierce County is coming to town.
“The Rookie: North”, a spinoff from the long-running police drama “The Rookie”, began filming in Vancouver, British Columbia, late last month, the show’s creator, executive producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley shared in an interview with Deadline.
It stars actor Jay Ellis as Alex Holland, a man suffering a midlife crisis after a violent home invasion in Los Angeles. Looking to find his purpose, he joins the fictional “Pierce County Police Department” as its oldest rookie.
While he polices from the populated Puget Sound coasts to the smaller towns tucked away in forests, Holland has to prove to his peers that he has the chops for the force.
Hawley’s previous shows, “The Rookie” and “The Rookie: Feds” take place in Los Angeles, a popular setting for first-responder series. But for this upcoming series, he wanted a change.
In an industry dominated with big-city police procedurals, Hawley said the mix of urban and rural environments in Pierce County excites him.
“I like the idea that this place is a bigger slice of America, where people live,” he told Deadline. “The county that they’re policing does include Tacoma, so there is some urban but at the same time, it’s also the suburbs and the exurbs, and it’s also the meth lab in the woods, and a National Park, and there’s a military base. That sort of county is really interesting.”
Ellis is currently a main cast member of the series “All Her Fault” on Peacock, as well as a recurring character in Netflix’s “Running Point.” You may also remember him as Lieutenant Reuben “Payback” Fitchin in “Top Gun: Maverick” or for his award-winning role as Martin “Lawrence” Walker in the HBO series “Insecure.”
Starring opposite Ellis is Chris Sullivan playing Sergeant Nix, a recently promoted Watch Commander who yearns to get back on the street. Sullivan is a two-time Emmy nominee for his role as Toby Damon in the hit show, “This Is Us”
There is no set date yet for the pilot’s premiere.
If ABC picks up the pilot, the show will air on ABC then stream on Hulu the next day.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
