ABC’s hit police procedural drama, The Rookie, is currently in production and filming its eighth season has begun. Showrunner Alexi Hawley is currently crafting new stories that will have us hooked on the officers in the Mid-Wilshire division. One of the recurring and captivating stories for several seasons now has been the romance between Lucy Chen, played by Melissa O’Neil, and her long-term love interest, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), in the romantic union we’ve come to affectionately know as Chenford. Despite their clear appeal, Hawley has been able to craft other love dynamics throughout the show, including one between Officer Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez) and her musician boyfriend, Rodge (Zander Hawley).
Zander is the son of series showrunner Alexei, and his character became somewhat of a nuisance to Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan, after the musician wrote and recorded a song about him called “Daddy Cop” with his band. Despite John’s disapproval of the musician, a Celina-Rodge relationship has emerged, but there are challenges ahead. Being a musician, Rodge and his band will have to go on tour, which means an extended period away from one another. Speaking with TV Line, showrunner Hawley was asked if the relationship would be able to survive.
“We’ll see. I mean, they’re both young, and ultimately a show full of happy relationships is not as dramatic as it could be. But I think they’re adorable together, and Liz sparkles [in their scenes], so yeah, we’ll try to keep it going.”
Will Celina and Rodge Get the Chenford Treatment in ‘The Rookie’?
The showrunner’s comments suggest that the pair might be handed the same will-they-won’t-they treatment that has since come to define Lucy and Tim’s romance on the show. But that might not be the only direction of potential travel in regard to upsetting the apple cart in the Celina-Rodge romance. There is the opportunity to pair Celina with a newly arrived rookie from Houston, Texas, Miles Penn (Deric Augustine). While Augustine previously shared that he didn’t see the two ending up together, showrunner Hawley seems intrigued by the idea. “If it felt organic, I’m not going to say no to it,” he said on the matter previously. “It didn’t occur to me until you said that. I do really like them together. Yeah, I don’t know. That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought of that. If it feels like it’s where the story wants to go, then maybe. You never know.”
Regardless of which direction the show decides to go, one thing is certain: It won’t be without challenges. For, as Hawley notes, “a show full of happy relationships is not as dramatic as it could be,” and we certainly could do with drama. However, the drama looks poised to be drained slightly from the Chenford dynamic, as the pair begin to chart a course away from uncertainty. This will mark a significant and welcome shift after recent events.
