Fans Don't Seem To Be Too Impressed With The Rookie: Feds Premiere

Is it a crime procedural if it doesn't have a flurry of spin-offs? That is the question that ABC's "The Rookie" attempts to answer with its first interconnected show, "The Rookie: Feds." Now in the ranks of "NCIS" and "Law & Order" franchises, the new spin-off attempts to add the same magic from its sister show. And many elements come together for the initial series to be magical indeed. First and foremost is Nathan Fillion as the titular rookie. Inspired by a true story, Fillion plays John Nolan, who is the oldest officer to enter the LAPD at the time. Fillion applies his trademark humor to the role, mixing it with the serious tone of the series. Now fans will have to determine if "The Rookie: Feds" holds up to the original as "The Rookie" heads into its Season 5 premiere. Introducing the lead characters in a backdoor pilot, the series will follow Simone Clark, played by Niecy Nash, the oldest rookie at the FBI.

"I'm so excited to guest star on 'The Rookie' and bring Simone Clark to life!" Nash's statement read (via Entertainment Weekly). "She is a spirited and spicy fish out of water. The cast is amazing and I can't wait to play!" But despite the excitement surrounding the series, fans' opinions on the first episode have been less than ideal.

Like "The Rookie" before it, the impressive cast list of "The Rookie: Feds" gives it a promising start. Niecy Nash is joined by James Lesure of "Las Vegas" fame and Britt Robertson, who has been a familiar face in film as well as television. But if you ask the audience members on Reddit, the first episode generally misses the mark. Fans such as u/moonbeam127 made it clear that they were unlikely to continue, while others went into specific detail about what makes the first episode so lackluster.

"Trying a smidge too hard I think," noted u/Llodym. "They want us to go with the empowerment of experienced older and wiser getting a chance to prove themselves as useful but [the] way [they] go about it is by shoving her in everything where she didn't even belong, not even in the 'oh my case [happens] to be involved in yours' kind of way." And the final nail in the coffin for the series is inescapable comparisons to the original.

"No it's not as good as The Rookie, none of the character[s] are likable," concluded u/balasoori. Fans' opinions have been known to drive shows in certain directions, but perhaps the differences between the spin-off and its original are an asset. Variety's review of the first episode commented that "The Rookie: Feds" is more ambitious in the types of stories it is trying to tell. Perhaps there is hope for the series yet.