‘The Rookie: Feds’ Recap: Season 1 Episode 1 — Grade ‘Rookie’ Spinoff

The Rookie: Feds officially reported for duty — or whatever it is FBI agents do — this Tuesday night on ABC. Will you keep watching the offshoot of The Rookie?

The Rookie: Feds stars Claws‘ Niecy Nash-Betts as the charmingly (?) headstrong Simone Clark, who was introduced in a springtime two-parter of The Rookie. In that backdoor pilot, Officer John Nolan (played by Nathan Fillion) and the L.A. division of the FBI enlisted the guidance counselor-turned-oldest-ever FBI trainee’s help when one of her former students was suspected in a terror attack.

In The Rookie: Feds‘ series premiere, Simone and fellow Quantico grad/former Vampire Cop star Brendon Acres (Rebel‘s Kevin Zegers) arrive in Los Angeles from from the academy. Simone of course has her sights set on joining the newly formed “rapid response” unit that Matthew Garza (Felix Solis) is leading, having cashed in some of his chips after the day-saving events of the planted pilot. Instead, she is directed straight to the background checks department aka a very drab desk job. (Thankless role alert for Steven Culp!)

Simone being Simone, she crashes a high-level briefing to nudge Garza to right this perceived wrong. He explains that while Clark’s role in foiling that terror attack was greatly valued, she is “a torpedo looking for a target,” and he can’t risk it being his new, closely scrutinized unit.

Well, guess what? After using her mad guidance counselor skills yet again (and even noticing a POI in the background while FaceTiming Brendon!), Simone helps Garza’s team crack a big case and is allowed onto his team.

Garza’s squad also includes Carter Hope (played by Las Vegas‘ James Lesure), a promotion-hungry traditionalist; Laura Stenson (Life UneXpected‘s Britt Robertson), a talented agent in desperate need of a second chance (and maybe a less-stuffy wardrobe); and Elena Flores (Ruthless‘ Michelle Nuñez), while — surprise! — Courtney Ford (Legends of Tomorrow) plays Garza’s skeptical supervisor, Tracy.

On the home front, meanwhile, Banshee‘s Frankie R. Faison is back as Simone’s father, Christopher “Cutty” Clark, with whom she will live (at least in the interim).

Not returning from the backdoor pilot is Kat Foster, as Agent Fox.

Now that you have seen The Rookie: Feds in action, did it make the grade? And will you be back for Episode 2?