Castle alum Nathan Fillion re-teams with ABC for new project

For the first time since the end of Castle, Nathan Fillion is getting set to take on a new full-time gig over at ABC.

Sources confirm that Fillion (also well known from Firefly) is set to star in the straight-to-series dramedy The Rookie, which is being produced by former Castle executive producer Alexi Hawley. Fillion is going to appear as main character John Nolan, a man who decides to become a cop at a very surprising point in his life. Here’s the series logline:

At an age where most are at the peak of their career, Nolan cast aside his comfortable, small town life and moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of being a cop. Now, surrounded by rookies 20 years his junior, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, humorous and unpredictable world of a “young” cop, determined to make his second shot at life count. Inspired by a true story.

So … will this series work? We’re not shocked that ABC wanted to order this given that Castle was, at least for the first six or seven years, a very solid performer for the network. Its ending was a hot mess, but there were certainly many of good moments that came about along the way. It’s a little like How I Met Your Mother in that you enjoy the ride and probably need to downplay the ending in order to celebrate it.

In ordering this show straight to series ABC is banking big on this being a hit — we’ll see if it is. Since Castle ended he has stayed close to the network courtesy of a role on Modern Family for a part of last season. He’s also traveled extensively and hit up the convention circuit. He will be an executive producer on The Rookie alongside Hawley, and in our mind we’re almost picturing this show as a cross between Castle and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, with the big difference being that this John Nolan character may not have any clue what he’s doing. At least Richard Castle had the mind of a crime-solver thanks to all of his novels, even if he was seriously incompetent with some other parts of the gig.

What do you think about the idea of a new Nathan Fillion – ABC show, and do you also have any interest in watching? Share in the comments below.

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