Why Are There so Many 'Rookie' Crossover Events? An Investigation

If you've been watching procedural crime drama The Rookie on ABC since its premiere in 2018, you may have noticed the sheer amount of crossover events between The Rookie and its spin-off series The Rookie: Feds. The Rookie: Feds first appeared as a two-episode backdoor pilot during the show's fourth season in April 2022.

Some fans have become annoyed at the crossover between the two shows, especially after the Season 5 mid-season premiere of the Rookie showed both casts teaming up for the second time. So, why are there so many Rookie crossover events? Let's investigate.

While the showrunners for The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds have never explicitly stated why they are so many crossovers between the two shows, Alexi Hawley (The Rookie) and Terence Paul Winter (The Rookie: Feds) did speak to Entertainment Weekly about the Season 5 mid-season crossover, suggesting that shared plot lines can be developed in different directions on each show.

Alexi notes, "We do have characters who do cross from one of the shows to the other, but ultimately ... There is a satisfying conclusion to a certain extent in The Rookie, and then it gets handed off to Feds as it goes to separate direction."

Terence adds, "And our favorite feds get the assist from our favorite former rookie at the LAPD. Nolan is going to join our federal agents to take on the handoff of what happens at the end of The Rookie and carry it forward and ask more questions."

The interview also touches on the historic tension between the FBI and the local police force when cases get taken from one jurisdiction to another. Alexi says that tension will be less present in the Rookie shows because of one character: Supervisory Special Agent Matthew "Matt" Garza (Felix Solis).

"Garza's unit is designed not to be the bully or "We know better," which you can get with the FBI because they do things a very specific way and have a sense of confidence that comes from that. Garza comes in, and he just wants the best answer. That helps smooth that relationship, the respect both ways from those two teams," Alexi explains.

Not all fans of The Rookie see the crossovers as necessary. Following the announcement that the Season 5 mid-season finale would be another crossover, many took to Twitter to voice their complaints with "too many crossovers."

One user wrote, "People complain about how the rookie doesnt know how to do crossovers but like does anyone actually want feds characters in the rookie??? bahahahaha most of you guys dont even want the rookies characters in the rookie."

Another user said, "I just think it’s so funny that these “crossovers” always has the feds coming over to the rookie and taking up half the screen time away from the main cast yet you never see the rookie cast that much on feds why do they get to keep taking screen time away from the mains? Idgi."

Who knows what the future holds for both the Rookie and The Rookie: Feds. Catch both shows on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST and 9 p.m. EST on ABC.