Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 1 finale of The Rookie: Feds, called “Red One.”
The first season of The Rookie: Feds has come to an end with Niecy Nash’s Simone Betts going through the wringer before she could make it to her own birthday bash. Unfortunately for fans, Feds was not as lucky as its parent series this spring, with Nathan Fillion able to celebrate The Rookie renewal while Feds’ future is still uncertain. So, in the wake of “Red One,” let’s look at what happened in the finale, the odds of a renewal for Season 2, and whether it was missing something.
What Happened In The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Finale
Simone spent the episode getting ready to celebrate her 49th birthday with a grand party, including trying to talk her coworkers into agreeing to come. She was ultimately lucky to make it to her event by being no more than fashionably late, as she was shot at the end of the case of the week, with the bullet coming dangerously close to penetrating through the vest.
Despite the scare, the team managed to wrap up the case of the FBI agent who had been drugged with truth serum to give up the means to find a criminal in the witness protection program. It was a somewhat morally gray ending, as the agents went all-out to save a man who had committed some atrocities before fleeing to the United States.
Still, the case was closed by the time the final credits rolled, with no cliffhanger unless it counts that it wasn't shown whether or not James Lesure’s Carter Hope did indeed show up with the intention of having three drinks instead of his usual max of two.
Was The Finale Missing Something?
On the whole, “Red One” was a solid episode of The Rookie: Feds, with some standout emotional beats, including the reveal of why Simone was so ready to celebrate turning 49: her mother had died at the age of 48. Brendon also realized that he was overcompensating with Simone due to feeling like he owed her from their Quantico days, which will undoubtedly be good for his relationship with Antoinette. Plus, Simone won $25,000 at a casino in Las Vegas, which is certainly above and beyond what happens on a weekly basis.
But as a finale, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. There was no plot cliffhanger or emotional cliffhanger, and if I hadn’t known that this was the season ender, I would have thought it was just another episode of The Rookie: Feds. The winter finale ended on more of a cliffhanger back in November! I may be biased by the doozy of an ender that The Rookie got right before the Feds finale started, but I just wish that it felt like more of an event. I may change my tune if some bad news hits about Feds, however, which brings us to…
Will The Rookie: Feds Be Cancelled Or Renewed For Season 2?
While Feds didn’t make it onto our list of 2023 TV shows that could get cancelled unless something changes, it’s hard to ignore that its status is still uncertain when ABC renewed so many other shows. In fact, after the renewals for The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Rookie, and Will Trent, The Rookie: Feds is the only ABC drama that has yet to be guaranteed another season.
Plus, ABC just picked up 9-1-1 after it was going to be cancelled by Fox, and the network hasn’t ruled out a series order for The Good Lawyer as a spinoff of The Good Doctor. If there’s a limited number of primetime slots for dramas…well, The Rookie: Feds may be in trouble.
On the ratings front, the spinoff doesn’t hit the same kinds of numbers as the Nathan Fillion parent series. SpoilerTV reports that Feds averages a Live+Same day rating of 0.3, which rises to 0.4 after three days and 0.5 after seven days. In contrast, The Rookie averages a Live+Same of 0.4, which jumps to 0.6 in Live+3 day and and 0.7 in Live+7 day. When it comes to audience size, Feds averages 2.4 million in Live+Same, 3.8 million in Live+3, and 4.3 million in Live+7. The Rookie averages 3.8 million in Live+Same, 5.9 million in Live+3, and 6.5 million in Live+7.
Still, ratings don’t tell the full story in this day and age of streaming, and the time slot change in the new year meant a shift (and better odds for crossovers). So, if Feds is cancelled, then I am perfectly fine with “Red One” as a finale that tied off loose ends without a cliffhanger. If it’s renewed… well, I’ll be wishing that there was more to the finale than what we got.
For now, we can only wait for ABC to make a decision about The Rookie: Feds and announce whether the show will return in the 2023-2024 TV season. You can always rewatch episodes of Season 1 streaming with a Hulu subscription, and find some summer viewing options on our 2023 TV premiere schedule.
