Niecy Nash is set to star in an FBI-set spinoff of ABC's The Rookie

Deadline

The former Reno 911! star is set to return to the world of law enforcement. She'll guest-star on The Rookie as part of a two-episode backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff set at the FBI. "The planted spinoff follows the premise of The Rookie, which stars Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD," according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "Nash will guest star as Simone Clark, a force of nature, the living embodiment of a dream deferred – and the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. Simone has never shied away from a challenge or a fight. She is a single mother of two who put her dreams on hold to make sure her kids pursued their own. In the two embedded pilot episodes, co-written by (The Rookie creator Alexi) Hawley and The Rookie executive producer Terence Paul Winter, Officer John Nolan (Fillion) and the LA division of the FBI enlist the help of FBI trainee Simone Clark (Nash) when one of her former students is suspected of terrorism following an explosion at a local power station. Much like the Chicago, Law & Order, FBI, 9-1-1 and the Grey’s Anatomy franchises which thrive on crossovers, The Rookie and the spinoff will exist in the same universe, allowing characters to move back and forth. The planted spinoff route ABC is taking with The Rookie offshoot involves new characters getting incorporated into the mothership series before anchoring their own show. I hear Nash is one of four actors who will guest star in the two-episode arc on The Rookie with an option to become series regulars on the proposed new series if it gets picked up for next season." Nash says of her new role: “I’m so excited to guest star on The Rookie and bring Simone Clark to life! She is a spirited and spicy fish out of water. The cast is amazing and I can’t wait to play!”