Jay Ellis On ‘The Rookie: North’ Pilot & Potential ‘Rookie’ Crossovers

ABC has not made a decision yet on its sole current drama pilot The Rookie: North starring Jay Ellis, a spinoff from the network’s long-running procedural headlined by Nathan Fillion.

It may be because ABC’s executives are yet to see the finished product. Ellis — speaking to Deadline Wednesday at NBCUniversal’s Emmy Kick-Off luncheon for his starring role on Peacock’s limited series All Her Fault — revealed that he was headed to the final mix for the pilot from the event.

It may not have been the on-air version, but “I have seen the pilot twice, I think it’s great,” Ellis said. “I think you’re gonna fall in love with all these characters.”

He gave props to his co-stars in the pilot. “Janet Montgomery, Chris Sullivan, Karen Fukuhara, Froy Gutierrez, we have Mya Lowe and Malik Watson, I think that everyone dives into their characters, and you root for them or identify with them, or you’re pissed with them,” he said. “It just feels like an ensemble that you want to sit and grab a beer with or hang out, go to a music festival with, listen to Karol G and Justin Bieber all weekend.”

Ellis’ assessment of The Rookie: North pilot matches that of the spinoff’s creator, Alexi Hawley, who also is creator, executive producer and showrunner of the mothership series.

“The pilot came out great,” Hawley told Deadline earlier this month. “The network seems super happy with it. You never know until you know but we have a really amazing cast, led by Jay Ellis who’s a star; it was a joy to make that with him and the rest of them.”

Will fans who love The Rookie also love the offshoot?

“Oh, I think they’ll love Rookie: North,” Ellis said with the caveat that is “not gonna make it competitive against Nathan Fillion.”

As Deadline has reported, The Rookie: North has been looking good for a series pickup. If that happens, Ellis and Fillion could share the screen.

“If this works out, that is something that’s been floated, but I think we have to figure out how it works,” Ellis said about potential Rookie-Rookie: North crossovers. “We’ve got to get picked up first, fingers crossed. But I would love to.”

The Rookie: North centers on Alex Holland (Ellis) who believed his mid-life wasn’t worthy of a crisis. But after a violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a lifetime of failed commitments by joining the Pierce County Police Department as its oldest rookie.

Insecure alum Ellis did not seek out the pilot; he has been busy juggling multiple streaming shows, including All Her Fault and two Mindy Kaling comedies: Netflix’s Running Point, whose second season debuts tomorrow (April 23), and Hulu’s Not Suitable For Work, which premieres in June.

“I was in New York, actually, shooting Not Suitable For Work,” Ellis said. “I remember my team calling me on a Friday, and they were like, Hey, we’re sending you something to read. Check it out. It’s a spinoff of The Rookie. Alexi the showrunner, wants to meet with you.”

Ellis admitted that he had serious reservations since he had not done a broadcast series before but his team asked him to read the script before he decides.

“I read on the plane back to LA that night and I remember going, this is a lot of fun,” Ellis said. “This character gets to do so many different things in this pilot. That shows a lot of range, it just shows the layers and complexities of humanity and who we are, while also still being entertaining. You’re rooting for this guy, and you want him to get his life together. It really hooked me.”

Five days later, Ellis had dinner with Hawley.

“He won me over,” Ellis said, calling Hawley “a great dude, easy to talk to” while noting his track record with The Rookie going into its 9th season and growing season after season. “It just seemed like a no-brainer.