ABC Renews Popular Drama Series for Season 5

Nathan Fillion's John Nolan has more criminals to stop. ABC renewed The Rookie for a fifth season on Wednesday. The series is a steady performer for the network in the ratings, and a spinoff about the FBI is now in the works.

The renewal notice is not a complete surprise, as the show has done well as ABC's Sunday night anchor. The Rookie Season 4 premiere drew 2.8 million viewers and a 0.8 18-49 rating and has remained steady, reports Deadline. The Rookie also sees a considerable increase in audience numbers when delayed viewing is considered. ABC said that the fourth season averages 10 million total viewers after 35 days of viewing across ABC's linear and digital platforms, growing six times over its Live+Same Day data.

In The Rookie, Fillion plays John Nolan, a divorced father who moves from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to become the oldest rookie in LAPD history. Alyssa Diaz plays Detective Angela Lopez, while Richard T. Jones stars as Sgt. Wade Grey. Melissa O'Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, and Jenna Dewan also star. Alexi Hawley created the series, which is inspired by the true story of William Norcross, who joined the LAPD in his mid-40s.

In February, Deadline confirmed ABC is developing an FBI-focused series starring Niecy Nash as FBI trainee Simone Clark. The character is expected to be introduced in a two-part episode of The Rookie. Kat Foster, Felix Jones, and Frankie Faison will also star in the untitled spinoff. Hawley created the spinoff with The Rookie executive producer Terence Paul Winter. The two shows will frequently crossover, similar to Grey's Anatomy and Station 19.

The Rookie airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. All seasons of The Rookie are available to stream on Hulu. Entertainment One is the lead studio on the series, with ABC Signature as a co-producer. Hawley, Winter, Fillion, Michelle Chapman and Bill Norcross are the executive producers.

In October, The Rookie became the first series to take action after Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in a tragic accident. Hawley told his crew they would only use AirSoft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post-production. "There will be no more 'live' weapons on the show. The safety of our cast and crew is too important," Hawley wrote. "Any risk is too much risk." 

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