Did we NEED one other spinoff of The Rookie?
No, the reply, my pricey Rookie Fanatics, is a powerful no!
Information sources have been speaking at present a few second spinoff within the works for ABC’s widespread cop drama. Underneath every other circumstances, it’d enchantment to followers.
Nevertheless, for these of us nonetheless reeling from the blended bag that was The Rookie: Feds, we’re skeptical about ABC’s try to broaden a well-liked franchise.
For starters, franchise fatigue is most actually actual.
Tv has constructed a brand new period round franchises, spinoffs, revivals, reboots, and diversifications.
It’s to not say that lots of them aren’t good and even profitable. NCIS: Origins has been one of the vital pleasant expansions of the NCIS franchise in fairly a while.
Dick Wolf just about cornered the market on franchises with three totally different ones throughout two totally different networks with Legislation & Order, One Chicago, and FBI, and, hell, he’ll in all probability do the identical with the upcoming On Name on Prime.
Cop procedurals, particularly, are at all times wildly and massively profitable and are usually a protected wager.
ABC has already realized that franchises or showrunner supremacy serve them properly.
The Gray’s Anatomy universe has been the community’s bread and butter, and we’re nonetheless lamenting the lack of the Shondaland sequence primetime domination from a few years in the past.
However now, they’ve centered on making Ryan Murphy productions a community staple, particularly after adapting 9-1-1.
The 9-1-1 franchise will broaden as properly with new sequence (Sorry, 9-1-1: Lone Star, you needed to die in order that no matter new locale might thrive in its new dwelling).
And now, ABC is attempting their hand at one more The Rookie spinoff, regardless of how simply they threw within the towel with Niecy Nash Betts’ The Rookie: Feds.
A few of us are nonetheless a bit bitter about issues like Fits: LA making its debut quickly to capitalize on the renewed success of Fits and broaden that franchise all these years later.
And that’s to the chagrin of all 4 of us Pearson Fanatics, who by no means received to see the primary spinoff get the success it deserved.
In all places you look, and on each community, they’ve opted to provide repeats or extensions of what they really feel works as an alternative of taking bolder dangers and creating unique, contemporary content material.
It sucks, at the same time as somebody who enjoys a spinoff or two or total franchises; it’s disappointing that everybody is attempting to reinvent the wheel as an alternative of taking a giant swing at manufacturing one thing new completely.
And The Rookie, my pricey TV Fanatics, epitomizes “extra of the identical.” They’re not even trying to do something totally different with this newest spinoff.
As an alternative, after the unsuccessful spinoff that noticed a middle-aged, queer girl of coloration getting a contemporary begin as an FBI agent, irrespective of how implausible it was, the brand new spinoff intends to stay to the unique formatting.
What’s the new spinoff’s premise, you ask?
The spinoff follows a male cop entering into a brand new section of life in his second act.
So, the sequence will as soon as once more be a few middle-aged man who’s having a midlife disaster and can turn into a cop.
Are you blinking as a lot as I’m proper now? Isn’t that the very same format as the unique Nathan Fillion-led present?
Oh, wait, you guys. What distinguishes this from the unique sequence is that it’s going to happen someplace within the state of Washington!
And by Washington, I’ll wager your backside greenback it’s someplace in Seattle as a result of, let’s be actual, everybody acts like Seattle is the one metropolis in Washington!
Hey, possibly, if we’re fortunate, they will in some way finagle a crossover with Gray’s Anatomy or one thing. Uncertain, however a lady can dream.
So, not solely has The Rookie opted to repeat the unique sequence verbatim, however they’re additionally primarily borrowing from the 9-1-1 franchise.
We’ll simply replicate the identical present over and over and place it in a brand new location!
It seems like they’re resubmitting an previous task with a brand new date and title and conserving their fingers crossed for one of the best.
The factor is, that works for 9-1-1 as a primary responder present that offers extra solely with firefighters and paramedics responding to a big selection of calls that may be culturally particular to no matter locale they’re in (earthquakes and wildfires in Los Angeles or cowboy-themed foolery in Texas).
It doesn’t have the identical really feel if you’re solely coping with regulation enforcement.
Whereas responses had been blended concerning the award-winning Betts main The Rookie: Feds spinoff, it was genuinely refreshing to discover a girl getting into a brand new stage of her life by way of a profession change.
There was nothing flawed with that idea by itself, and it’s a storyline price exploring as a result of we’ve exhausted storylines about males and their midlife crises for 50 years!
Wouldn’t it have killed anybody to have at the very least this newest spinoff be female-led only for some razzle-dazzle?
And that’s the place the information of this spinoff elicits extra boredom and frustration than pleasure.
The Rookie has been on the air for seven years and continues to be one of many community’s high sequence. It’s massively profitable and presumably nonetheless has a variety of life left in it.
It’s worrisome that Hawley and ABC might stretch themselves skinny by devoting their consideration to a more moderen, flashier model of the very same sequence slightly than specializing in the one they have already got.
And in the event that they had been going to try this, wouldn’t it’s price it if they really, you already know, switched issues up a bit or took a extra unique method to this new sequence?
We are able to at the very least really feel it’s price it or perceive the aim.
Given the franchise’s ongoing theme, the irony of doubtless changing The Rookie with a extra present, youthful model of the very same sequence isn’t misplaced.
I get not knocking what already works, however that is ridiculous and a bit underwhelming.
However possibly we’re being untimely. As new info trickles in about this spinoff, with attention-grabbing casting and a extra detailed synopsis, we might change our minds about this.
For now, The Rookie, primarily copying and pasting itself to broaden its universe, is a first-rate instance of every little thing flawed, archaic, annoying, and underwhelming in regards to the franchise period and why viewers are over it.
Over to you, The Rookie Fanatics.
What do you consider one more spinoff?
Do you want that they’re repeating the identical idea in a brand new location? Hold forth under.
Watch The Rookie On-line
