‘The Rookie: Feds’: James Lesure Joins Cast Of ABC Spinoff Series

EXCLUSIVE: James Lesure has been tapped as a series regular on ABC’s new hourlong series The Rookie: Feds, headlined by Niecy Nash-Betts.

Co-created by Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter, The Rookie: Feds stars Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. The spinoff was introduced in a two-episode arc on Season 4 of The Rookie, where Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and the L.A. division of the FBI enlist Clark’s help when one of her former students is a suspect in a terror attack.

James Lesure joins Nash-Betts, Frankie Faison and Felix Solis, who guest starred in the Rookie backdoor pilot episodes as Christopher “Cutty” Clark and Special Agent Matthew Garza, respectively, as well as Britt Robertson and Kevin Zegers, who recently joined The Rookie: Feds as a new series regulars playing Laura Stensen and Brendon Acres, respectively.

Lesure will play Carter Hope. Conservative and a by-the-book traditionalist, Carter’s a model FBI agent who joined the bureau after a successful career as a lawyer in the Justice Department. Now he’s got the most challenging task of his career: training the outspoken and outside-the-box rookie Clark, whose style will be a challenge to his painfully won beliefs.

Hawley and Winter executive produce The Rookie: Feds with Mark Gordon, Nash-Betts, Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Bill Norcross and Corey Miller. Entertainment One is the lead studio and international distributor of the series, a co-production with ABC Signature. The Rookie: Feds is set to premiere in the fall, airing in the Tuesday 10 PM slot behind Bachelor In Paradise.

Lesure recently appeared in the HBO series Winning Rime as Julius Erving (Dr. J) and starred opposite Katey Sagal and Andy Garcia in ABC’s Rebel. His series credits also include Las Vegas, Uncle Buck, Divorce, Good Girls, Blue Bloods and Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce. He is repped by Innovative Artists, Good Shepherd Mgmt and Meyer & Downs.