Quick Links
When The Rookie first aired back in 2018, it was a big hit with audiences and that remains true as it gears up for its upcoming fifth season. The series focuses on John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a mid-40s construction worker who decides to embrace a massive life change, moving to Los Angeles to become a police officer in the LAPD. Over the last four seasons, we’ve met and become attached to many characters in the series, and we’re about to get introduced to a whole lot more! A brand-new spin-off series, titled The Rookie: Feds, has its premiere quickly approaching after getting a backdoor pilot during the parent show's last season, and this time it revolves around the FBI. More specifically, the new late-40s aged rookie Simone Clark, played by Niecy Nash.
Very much like its sister series with John, we’ll get to see the start of Simone’s journey as a rookie FBI agent. Before The Rookie: Feds begins, check out this handy guide below to find out everything we know so far about the new series!
Watch the Trailer For The Rookie: Feds
There’s been a long wait for The Rookie: Feds to get an official trailer after months of teasers, but it’s finally here! It doesn’t give away too much about the story or other main characters, but it does showcase how The Rookie "universe" is expanding and interconnected.
We get a few fun brief scenes with John Nolan picking up Simone from LAX, as well as him assisting the FBI with a case. The trailer also gives us our first look at the main FBI office space, new characters we’ll soon get to meet, and returning faces from the backdoor pilot like Felix Solis as Matthew Garza. Much like The Rookie, the trailer highlights that this new series will have a similar blend of comedy, drama, and action to keep us hooked each week!
When and Where Is The Rookie: Feds Coming Out?
The Rookie: Feds will premiere on ABC (the same channel as The Rookie) on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET. This was The Rookie’s original timeslot during its first season before it got moved to Sundays, where it’s remained since. If you miss an episode as it airs, or just want to stream it instead, new episodes will become available on Hulu the next day. All four seasons of The Rookie are also available if you want to catch up or re-watch it!
How Many Episodes Will There Be in The Rookie: Feds Season 1?
At this point, it remains unclear how many episodes there will be in the first season of The Rookie: Feds. IMDb has a total of six episodes listed, with the possible season finale (if this episode count is accurate) slated to air on Tuesday, November 1.
It may be possible that ABC is waiting to see how many viewers the new series will attract, as well as its critical reception. Depending on these figures, it may entice the network to order additional episodes, either for a longer first season, or to use in a potential second season.
What’s The Rookie: Feds About?
As mentioned above, in Season 4 of The Rookie, there was a two-part backdoor pilot for the new series, released as the episodes “Simone” and “Enervo”. During these two episodes, there is a bomber in Los Angeles who is targeting the city’s infrastructure. While the LAPD begins their investigation and manhunt to find the bomber, the FBI also conducts its own. Both organizations soon team up and learn that the bomber is Zeke Freemont, a former student of an FBI trainee, (you guessed it) Simone.
Despite the FBI’s reluctance, Simone is called in to assist them with the case. Together, the LAPD and FBI manage to take down Zeke, and in the process, Simone proves herself to be worthy of becoming an agent. She also becomes friends with John after pairing up with him throughout the case. While it’s not clear what the larger story in The Rookie: Feds will be yet, it’s safe to assume that it will likely pick up very soon after this event. With Simone now a rookie FBI agent, we’ll get to see her first cases and meet the rest of her immediate team.
Who's In the Cast of The Rookie: Feds?
While we’ve already briefly met a few of these characters on The Rookie, it doesn’t mean there’s not more to learn about them! Keep reading below for a deeper dive into the main characters of The Rookie: Feds and who plays them:
Niecy Nash appears as Special Agent Simone Clark. Simone originally wanted to join the FBI when she was much younger, however, her plans got delayed when she became pregnant with twins. While raising her kids, she worked as a guidance counselor at a high school in Washington D.C., where she also occasionally taught Driver’s Ed and coached the school’s wrestling team. Years later, with her twins in college, Simone decided to resume her FBI dream, which is where we first met her in the backdoor pilot. Nash is a long-time cast member on the TV series Reno 911! More recently, she has also starred in shows such as Claws, Never Have I Ever, and the miniseries Mrs. America.
Frankie Faison plays Christopher “Cutty” Clark, Simone’s father. He is a retired jazz musician, who recently had been thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Despite being released thanks to an FBI investigation, he lost respect and trust in law enforcement, as well as his daughter who wants to become an agent. Cutty currently rallies at protests as part of the Defund the Police movement. Faison has appeared in many TV shows such as The Wire, The Good Wife, and Banshee. In 2021, he also starred in the Netflix film Fatherhood.
Felix Solis plays Supervisory Special Agent Matthew Garza. Though he appeared alongside Simone and Cutty in the backdoor pilot, we don’t actually know too much about Matthew’s history with the FBI, or outside its day-to-day. That said, we’ll likely learn more about him very soon as he becomes Simone’s boss and a mentor figure, while running his own FBI unit. Solis is perhaps best known for his role as Omar Navarro in the Netflix series Ozark. Recently, he has also appeared in shows such as Colony, SEAL Team, and Charmed.
As for new characters not seen in the backdoor pilot, we have Britt Robertson as Special Agent Laura Stensen. She was the youngest person ever to join the FBI’s behavioral anomalies unit, working as a criminal profiler. Following an awful breakup with her boyfriend, who was cheating on Laura with her best friend, she fell on hard times emotionally and professionally. Fortunately, she’s given a chance to start over again as an agent in Garza’s new team. Britt Robertson recently starred in shows such as For The People and Big Sky. She also appeared in the films A Mouthful of Air and About Fate.
Kevin Zegers plays Special Agent Brendon Acres. Like Simone, Kevin has just completed his FBI training to become a rookie, after years of being a professional actor. Kevin had a lead role in the fictional series Vampire Cop, so many agents find it difficult to take his change in profession seriously. As a "method" actor, he received lots of martial arts and gun training, and oddly enough, to top it all off, he has a master’s in computer science. Zegers has recently starred in shows such as Fear the Walking Dead, Power, and Rebel. He also appeared in the films Nighthawks and Corrective Measures.
James Lesure plays Special Agent Carter Hope, a by-the-books model example of an FBI agent, who joined the bureau after a successful career as a lawyer. He has been assigned to train Simone, however, the two share very different views and approaches to their missions, and they struggle to see eye to eye. Lesure had a lead role as Mike Cannon on the TV series Las Vegas. He’s also had recurring roles in many shows such as Divorce, Good Girls, and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.