The Rookie: Feds gets full-season order at ABC

The Rookie: Feds is very much an underdog story, in some ways both on-screen and off.

Today, ABC announced that the Niecy Nash-Betts series, a spin-off (of course) of The Rookie, has been picked up for a full season of 22 episodes. This may come as a surprise to some out there (ourselves included) who expressed concern over the low live+same-day ratings so far in its run. Where the show is truly shining comes via its multiplatform / DVR ratings, which are allowing the series to grow by leaps and bounds. According to Deadline, some of the early increases are more than 300% of what the show is drawing live.

Ultimately, these numbers are a reminder that in this current TV era, you can’t just write a show off by how it is performing in terms of live numbers, as there are SO many different ways that programs find an audience after the fact. Feds will likely get a continued boost from having the occasional spin-off with The Rookie, and in general lighthearted procedurals have shown to have a tremendous amount of staying power. Look at NCIS as a good example of that, as it’s been running for a good 20 seasons with no final season in sight. This is another reason why So Help Me Todd over on CBS has already received a full-season order.

For now, ABC has yet to make a decision on whether to pick up Alaska Daily for a full season. We can’t foresee it personally going for 22 episodes, largely because it’s a different sort of show. Remember that networks will label anything from 16 to 22 episodes a “full season” these days; things have changed a lot following the global health crisis.

Remember that the spin-off airs Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. You can see a preview for the next new episode here. We’ll probably have to wait to see if a season 2 renewal gets a green light.

What do you think about The Rookie: Feds being picked up for a full season?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, come back for some other updates. (Photo: ABC.)