Niecy Nash isn’t staying off TV for long.
The actress, who just wrapped up the popular TNT drama Claws, has booked a new gig on ABC’s The Rookie—and it might turn into a spinoff.
TVLine reports that the award-winning actress will play FBI trainee Simone Clark in two episodes of the police procedural crime drama. When one of her former students is suspected of being a terrorist, John Nolan—the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department—and the FBI’s LA division consult Clark in a series of episodes that serve as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff starring Nash. So depending on how well they’re received, and the development of the story, the fiesty Clark could get her own series focused on her journey as an older FBI recruit.
“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,” Nash said in a statement. “The cast is amazing and I can’t wait to play!”
TVLive describes Clark as “a force of nature, the living embodiment of a dream deferred—and the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy.”
Now, how do I feel about this? I’m going to be honest: Other than Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Grey, there’s not much on The Rookie that appeals to Black audiences. Sure, the show’s done the obligatory “racist cop gets his due” storyline, but there’s something about it that always feels...bland.
The Rookie stars Nathan Fillion as a 45-year-old white guy who decides to join the LAPD, so the spinoff will follow the same premise but will obviously be more interesting—since we that imagine that Simone Clark’s journey through the FBI Academy (as a 40-something Black woman) will be much more difficult than Nolan’s, providing a more nuanced, fascinating series.
This is great news for Niecy, as she’s one of those actresses who makes every scene memorable. Just look at how she made the banana-pants crazy storylines of Claws work for four seasons. I’m not going to spoil how it ended, but Desna and the girls are in a good place.
There’s no date yet for Nash’s episodes of The Rookie, but the drama airs Sundays at 10/9c on ABC, so plan your TV schedule accordingly.