The Rookie: Feds had some expectations heaped on it from the moment the spinoff was announced.

The Rookie is the perfect balance of comedy, action, and romance, and as such, those were to be expected of the spinoff.

So, how did it fare?

It's worth noting that throughout the first half of The Rookie Feds Season 1, the show was establishing itself by developing characters and finding its place in The Rookie universe.

Sadly, it took so many episodes to get that done, but by the end of the season, it became much more solid.

The format was not new, with it being a spin-off.

Episodes open with a crime beginning to be committed, in progress, or after the fact. Some openers were a hit or a miss but mostly entertaining.

The season premiere introduced the characters and set up the story.

The show had a two-episode back-door pilot in the original, which did not work well for it. Almost everything the viewer needed to know about it was covered in the backdoor pilots, making the season premiere feel redundant.

As a result, The Rookie Feds Season 1 Episode 1 was the worst episode of the season.

ABC decided to go all in and did multiple crossovers with The Rookie, and it's no secret that those crossovers were not good by any standards.

Surprisingly enough, the best episodes were ones billed as crossovers.

On The Rookie Feds Season 1 Episode 7, the team learned of a nuclear threat facing the city, which saw the FBI and LAPD join forces to find the bombs before they went off.

The episode was intense and thrilling because a lot was at stake.

It was a race against time to save the city and their loved ones, making it the best episode of the season.

The episode had Chris Sheffield and Derek Mio play father and son, and they delivered the best performance by a guest star in the season.

There were many crossover episodes, with each main character from The Rookie getting at least one episode.

On The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 2, Tim and Laura met for the first time, and their interaction was priceless, making them the best cross-universe duo. They were the opposite gender of each other, each with their own style of policing.

The most exciting cameo, however, was that of Lopez on The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 8. Wesley's building was held hostage, and no one could keep Lopez from saving her man.

The biggest strength of the show is also its weakness.

It relied too much on crossovers, mainly when it was used to conclude stories from The Rookie.

The first crossover was that of Rosalind's accomplice after her death.

No villain could have topped Rosalind this season, not even her accomplice. Consequently, The Rookie: Feds felt like an afterthought. Somehow, the LAPD managed to outdo the FBI.

The worst of the crossovers was that of Abril.

On The Rookie, Abril had proven to be a formidable villain who had given Lopez sleepless nights and nearly killed her.

When the case was kicked up to the Feds, they undid her whole character and made her petty. When she died, it made no sense why it happened.

Many characters fell in love and lust, and then some fell out of either or both.

Brendon and Antoinette began a relationship, and I thought I'd root for them most, but there was something off with them. It appeared as if Brendon was afraid of her, and for good reason. Antoinette, from before Brendon, was cold and mean.

Speaking of cold and mean, Laura was halfway to being that before Mark showed up. It was understandable why she was aloof, but understanding can only stretch so far.

The dynamic she and Mark presented made them cute to watch. No one could make Laura scream like a teenage girl apart from Mark.

The relationship has its fair share of ups and downs, but which doesn't?

They emerged as the best couple because they also looked so hot together.

Cutty and Simone's relationship was a drag in the early episodes. It was a constant match of who could be the loudest in the room in the morning, and then they would make up in the evening.

That was possibly the worst storyline of the season, and it was a smart decision to end it when they did.

After they did, it opened the duo up for a better direction. The show explored the family's struggles when Cutty was wrongfully incarcerated and how it affected Simone.

It also gave Simone a chance at growth. She stopped being the obnoxious daughter and trainee who thought she had to overperform to get people to like her.

She became likable as the season progressed, making her the character with the most growth.

Ultimately, it felt like The Rookie: Feds Season 1 held out on a lot, making huge promises and never going through with most of them.

The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 22 was a prime example, having it go out the way it came in. If ABC goes for a second season, there is so much potential if certain improvements are made.

The show scored a B+ overall.

What did you think? Let us know in the comments section.

Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.