Did The Rookie: Feds Just Re-Use an Old The Following Script?

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Today, we look at how the latest episode of The Rookie: Feds seemed like it was practically a re-used episode of The Following, a show The Rookie: Feds creator Alexi Hawley was a writer and producer for in the past.

This is “Just Like the Time Before,” a feature where I examine instances from pop culture history where creators did early versions of later, notable characters and plot ideas. Essentially, the “test runs” for future famous characters and stories.

Alexi Hawley is a very successful TV writer and producer who is the creator and showrunner of The Rookie”. He also created The Rookie: Feds, which is also on ABC (he co-showruns it, as well, but I assume with his other shows, he is less of a direct showrunner than the other ones). He previously worked on Castle, Body of Proof and The Following, which was the show that he really first got into a position of becoming a showrunner, as he was the co-showrunner on the series in its third season.

The Following was a series about a group of FBI agents dealing with a serial killer who had a devoted, well, following, who would obey his commands despite him being in prison. They would do anything for him, including killing themselves if necessary.

The latest episode of The Rookie: Feds, “I Am Many,” felt like it was right out of an episode of The Following, as Mark Rolston plays a serial killer, Foster Mills, who is about to be executed for his crimes, but before he dies, he has his followers start to commit a series of murders that he directed from behind bars.

One of the other hallmarks of The Following was that the FBI agents on the show were always laughably incompetent (you have to make the charismatic serial killer look formidable, so the FBI have to look like fools in comparison, but instead of coming up with legit brilliant plans by the serial killer and his cult, they take the easier route of just having the FBI be morons). For the most part, the FBI agents on The Rookie: Feds, have been quite competent, but occasionally, there is some The Following in the series, but especially this episode.

The FBI captured an accomplice to Mills, and the accomplish stabs himself to death rather than talk to then. Okay, so they then capture ANOTHER accomplice later, and after he is in custody, they allow him to break out a cyanide pill hidden in his eyeglass frames. I mean, seriously? You KNOW that the guy is going to try to kill himself! He wasn’t even handcuffed!

Luckily, since this is just a one-off plot, the bad guy’s plans were solved by some competence by the FBI, but boy, it really did seem like a redo of The Following in so many ways.