Los Angeles [US], April 13 : Cop drama 'The Rookie' has been renewed for a ninth season.
The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion and created by Alexi Hawley, from Lionsgate Television and 20th Television, has officially become the third longest-running drama series on ABC, trailing only Grey's Anatomy (now heading into Season 23) and NYPD Blue, which ran for 12 seasons, as per Deadline.
The Rookie is tied with ABC's 1981 primetime soap Dynasty and 1965 police procedural The F.B.I., which also aired for nine seasons. (9-1-1 is going to Season 10 but the series aired on Fox for its first six seasons before moving to ABC.)
"So far, the mindset across the board is, as Melissa O'Neil said, 'Let's Grey's Anatomy this thing,'" Hawley told Deadline, quoting one of The Rookie's stars.
"I think everybody is having a good time, it's a cast that truly loves each other and enjoys coming to work, they get to do fun stuff every day. And at this point, heading into Season 9, I don't feel like we're anywhere near out of ideas. Part of that is we're not a procedural where I have to come up with a body drop every week. We really can reinvent ourselves a lot, and that helps with not feeling like you're running out of story. Every time you bring in a new rookie or a new character, that also changes things. So, yeah, I would do this until they turn the lights out."
Next season, The Rookie may be tasked with launching a new ABC series, spinoff The Rookie: North, currently in the pilot stage.
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