Why was The Rookie: Feds canceled? Explained

Modified Sep 30, 2024 01:46 GMT

A still from the procedural drama (Image via Facebook/@The Rookie: Feds) — A still from the police procedural drama (Image via Facebook/@The Rookie: Feds)

The Rookie: Feds was a police procedural drama series created by Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter. It was a spin-off of the series The Rookie and centered around Simone Clark joining the FBI as its oldest rookie at age 48. The show's executive producers were Nathan Fillion, Bill Norcross, Bibby Dunn, Michelle Chapman, Niecy Nash, and more.

The Rookie: Feds aired its first season between September 27, 2022, and May 2, 2023, on ABC. The show's synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"Special Agent Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy, is assigned to support the Los Angeles field office."

The Rookie: Feds was canceled in November 2023, with the "economics," "consolidation in the industry," and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes playing a part in the show's demise.

Reasons for the cancelation of The Rookie: Feds explored

An image from season 1 of the drama series (Image via Facebook/@The Rookie: Feds)

The premise for The Rookie: Feds was first introduced in the original show's season 4 with a two-episode backdoor pilot that aired in 2022. In the episode, the then-FBI trainee, Simone Clark, is called upon to help John Nolan and his team crack a terrorism case.

The drama series featured 22 episodes and was canceled in November 2023, almost six months after airing its season finale episode.

The showrunner Alexi Hawley gave the following statement about the show's cancellation while speaking at the Television Critics Tour in February 2024:

"A lot had to do with the forces that led to strike … the consolidation of the industry, the economic impact of the streaming wars have had on different companies. I do feel it was not a creative decision. It was a business decision."

He continued:

"The strike is still fairly close in our rearview mirror. Consolidation is happening across the industry. ABC has been nothing but supportive about The Rookie. Again, The Rookie: Feds was an unfortunate casualty, more of a casualty of the whole process."

Plot summary

The series features Simone Clark (Niecy Nash) joining the FBI as its oldest rookie at 48. After working as a school counselor most of her life, she decides to pursue her dream of becoming an FBI agent in her late 40s.

Simone is mentored by the FBI special agent Carter Hope (James Lesure) and works as a member of SSA Garza's Special Investigative Unit. Throughout the series, she works hard to prove herself to her boss, Matthew Garza (Felix Solis), and her team, many of whom doubt her capabilities.