First airing its two-episode backdoor pilot during The Rookie season 4, The Rookie: Feds officially premiered in September 2022. The spinoff stars Niecy Nash as Simone Clark, a guidance counselor who becomes the oldest trainee in the FBI Academy. James Lesure, Britt Robertson, Felix Solis, and Kevin Zegers are also included in the main cast. Despite decent ratings, the show was canceled by ABC after the first season, disappointing viewers of the franchise.
The flagship series continues to invite Fed alumni back as guest stars, including fan-favorite characters such as Robertson and Zegers' Laura Stensen and Brendon Acres. While the two appeared in The Rookie season 6 finale alongside Felix Solis, the plot-heavy installment provides little time for personal conversations. When speaking with ScreenRant, showrunner Alexi Hawley shares that he enjoys Laura and Brendon's dynamic and hopes to get them back together again in The Rookie. Check out his full response below:
ScreenRant: Could we ever see Brendon and Laura as a duo again in The Rookie? I was always curious if the intention was to build up a romance with those characters since we, sadly, didn't get another season of The Rookie: Feds.
Alexi Hawley: Down the road, for sure, I'd like to see them together again. Some of it is literally just about availability and stuff like that. We've had Felix back, we've had Antoinette and him back as well. We just haven't managed to land the right story with the right availability to get them back together. But I always really liked them.
More About Laura And Brendon's Dynamic In The Rookie: Feds
The Pairing Shared Similarities With The Rookie's "Chenford"
Laura served as Brendon's training agent in The Rookie: Feds, and the two form a bond despite their contrasting personalities. They share a pointed scene with The Rookie's Chenford early in the show, intended to highlight the duos' similarities. All signs pointed to an eventual romance between Laura and Brendon, which would likely have mimicked Tim and Lucy's will they/won't they dynamic.

How Tim Became The “Big Brother” Miles Was Looking For Explained By The Rookie Star [EXCLUSIVE]
EXCLUSIVE: The Rookie season 7 star Deric Augustine discusses Miles' relationship with Tim and the impact his training officer has had on his life.
Both characters are romantically involved with other people throughout The Rooke: Feds, and The Rookie season 7 confirms that Brendon is still dating the FBI's lab tech and forensic biologist, Antoinette Benneteau. While it may no longer be possible to give them the slow burn romance fans were rooting for, The Rookie can still show how Brandon and Laura's relationship has evolved off-screen since The Rookie: Feds season 1.
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The Rookie season 7 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and is available to stream next-day on Hulu.

The Rookie
- Release Date
- October 16, 2018
The Rookie follows John Nolan, a small-town man who embarks on a new career as an LAPD officer after a life-changing event. As the force's oldest rookie, Nolan faces skepticism from superiors who view his pursuit as a midlife crisis.
- Network
- ABC
- Cast
- Andy Mackenzie
- Showrunner
- Alexi Hawley
- Directors
- Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
- Writers
- Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Creator(s)
- Alexi Hawley
- Producers
- Mark Gordon, Nathan Fillion, Jon Steinberg, Bill Norcross, Vincent Angell, Alexi Hawley, Michelle Chapman, Terence Paul Winter, Bill Roe, Fredrick Kotto, Robert Bella, Brynn Malone, Diana Mendez Boucher, Helen Pai, P. Todd Coe, Rob Bowman, Nicholas Pepper, Patrick McKee, Christiana Hooks
- Seasons
- 7
- Story By
- alexi hawley
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu