The Rookie star Nathan Fillion has a storyline idea for the series that could cause major repercussions throughout the show. When the series debuted, the pilot episode revealed that John Nolan (Fillion) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) were secretly dating. Their romance received widespread criticism, and their brief fling ended about midway through the first season. Throughout the entirety of the show’s run, Lucy and John’s relationship has remained a secret, but what if Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) or other characters ever find out? A fan at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con broached this question to series creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley and Fillion during The Rookie panel. Fillion shockingly disclosed that he has a pitch for a storyline exposing Lucy and John’s relationship, and honestly? We’re on board for this.
Nathan Fillion Has Devised a Pitch for the Storyline
Although Hawley shared his belief that Lucy and John are “ancient history,” Fillion thought up a storyline pitch where Lucy’s current suitor, Sgt. Tim Bradford finds out about John and Lucy’s past fling. Fillion stayed mum on the pitch, clearly hoping that the idea could eventually see the light of day. Hawley said he would be interested in hearing out Fillion’s pitch, and Fillion mentioned during the panel that he would even act it out for him later. It sounds like Fillion and Hawley just teased an all-time landmark episode in front of thousands of fans at Comic-Con International, and The Rookie should not waste that opportunity.
John and Lucy’s Relationship Could Cause a Major Impact Throughout ‘The Rookie’
The potential reveal of John and Lucy’s relationship could cause major repercussions throughout the show and create a great source of tension and drama. When Lucy and John ended their relationship, the LAPD had rules against fraternization, and they did not want it to affect their careers. If everyone discovers the secret, would they view Lucy and John differently? How would Tim react? How would John’s wife, Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), deal with the news? What about Lt. Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones)?
The potential scenario raises copious interesting questions and raises various issues to chew on. The series could finally answer these interesting questions if the former couple’s long, dark secret finally emerges. Said exposure can also potentially affect two of the main cast members’ relationships and career standings. Considering Tim and Lucy are not officially back together, if Tim were to find out, it could create potential problems with reuniting with Lucy and his friendship with John. Granted, Tim should be willing to forgive such an issue, but it could still be an awkward revelation for everyone involved.
Fillion’s Pitch Should Recall a Major Storyline From Season 1
Some fans might recall that way back in the first season episode, “Time of Death,” John shoots and kills a criminal, Alex Montgomery (Steve Lenz), after Montgomery took a family hostage. At the end of the episode, Alex’s brother, Kyle Montgomery (Sam Duffy), breaks into John’s home, intending to take revenge. Lucy was coincidentally at John’s home, where the two met up for a romantic rendezvous after the shooting incident. The cliffhanger ending leads right into the next episode, “Standoff,” where John manages to fight off the surviving Montgomery brother, who was distracted by Lucy.
A panicked Lucy reveals that she was questioned about John’s relationships following his shooting incident in the last episode, but she omitted the fact that she and John were dating, causing concern that she might get fired. John advises Lucy to leave his home, and he will maintain a “harmless lie” that she was never there. Throughout the episode, the LAPD’s head of Internal Affairs, Percy West (Michael Beach), investigates the attack in Nolan’s home, and he rightfully suspects that Nolan is hiding something in his story. Eventually, Percy lets the issue go after seeing Nolan’s heroism in the field. That is the closest John and Lucy’s relationship ever came to getting discovered, and their secret has remained buried for the last six seasons. However, secrets like this never stay hidden forever.
One would hope Fillion’s pitch risks John and Lucy’s “harmless lie” from “Standoff” finally coming to light. It could create new conflict for John and Lucy within the LAPD. The revelation could potentially harm John’s sterling Boy Scout image, especially concerning his role as the department’s union representative. Lucy’s newest promotion could be in jeopardy. Considering West investigated the attack by the other Montgomery sibling, the storyline could bring the father of Jackson West (Titus Makin) back into the fold.
Percy West has not appeared in The Rookie since Season 6. Fillion’sprospective pitch presents an amazing opportunity for Percy’s return. Would Percy want to punish John and Lucy for the lie and ruin their careers over one mistake? It’s rare for a secret relationship such as this to remain perpetually undisclosed in police procedural dramas. The premise creates an intriguing moral dilemma for multiple characters and could finally tie up this loose end from the beginning of the show.
