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ABC is hoping the second time’s the charm when it comes to expanding The Rookie into a successful franchise. According to our sister site Deadline, the network is inching closer to giving a pilot order to The Rookie North, with a handful of name actors in their 40s-50s approached about starring in the possible spinoff.

While Deadline notes that the project is “gaining momentum for a pilot order,” it will be some time before The Rookie North potentially hits TV screens midseason: First, the main role needs to be cast, which will trigger a pilot greenlit, and if that pilot is then positively received by ABC execs, the offshoot will be ordered to series.

ABC previously tried their hand at a Rookie spinoff with The Rookie: Feds, which aired for just one season from 2022-2023 before it was cancelled. It starred Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, a former school counselor who joins the FBI at the age of 48. This time around, the network is keeping The Rookie North more in line with the mothership show by focusing on a rookie cop, not unlike Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan, in Washington state and an ensemble that includes training officers, rookies and a police chief. Casting notices for the main character, tentatively named Alex, “describe him as a former overachiever who becomes a rookie cop after his life did not go as planned.”The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley, who is writing and executive-producing the spinoff, was optimistic about The Rookie North‘s prospects during a May interview with Deadline. “I’ve been going back, and there’s a script, I’ve been doing some drafts and getting some notes,” he said. “You know me, I’m a hopeful person, so I remain hopeful. I mean, it would be a great thing. So let’s see.”