‘The Rookie’ Fans Say They’re “Done” With the Show After Seeing How Eric Winter Could Leave
The actor has been on the ABC show since the first episode aired in 2018.
The Rookie season 5 will be back with new episodes on March 21 … but will one of the original characters still be alive?
On March 1, the hit ABC series shared an upcoming promo with their followers on Instagram. In the short clip, viewers see the cops at Mid-Wilshire give their testimony about new couple Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter)’s early undercover case for a documentary. But as each officer reveals unknown events from the beginning of the season, the show drops a bomb that has made fans fearful for Tim’s potential fate.
“Tim just disappeared,” Lucy says before the camera cuts to rookie officer Aaron Thorsen (Tru Valentino) radioing his superiors from outside of a local dumpster. “Seven Lincoln seven, I just found a body … It’s Tim Bradford.”
When The Rookie fans saw the promo, in which Tim may potentially be killed off, they immediately freaked out. Many began swarming the show’s comments section with concerns about the character possibly dying in the last few episodes of season 5.
“I gasp every time I see this video. 😢,” one person wrote on Instagram. “Bro I [swear to God] I’m done if Tim is dead man😭,” a different follower said. “I refuse to believe you would do this to your viewers,” another chimed in.
Understandably, this plot twist would come as a surprise. Eric’s character Tim has been around since the pilot and he’s experiencing a pivotal time in his life. Tim is finally dating Lucy after five seasons of romantic tension, and despite stepping down as a sergeant in the Los Angeles precinct, his life is better than ever. But since Tim went undercover earlier this season as his doppelgänger Jake/Dim, it may be plausible that Aaron saw Tim’s face, and not the former training officer himself.
That said, Eric might have already alluded that he’s not leaving the show any time soon. During a recent video on Cameo, he disclosed how sure he is about his place on The Rookie and whether a season 6 renewal is in sight.
“Right now, our ratings are better than ever,” Eric said in the clip. “I feel really confident about a season 6. Nothing’s official yet, but I do feel very confident given the way things are going. So, get ready for more Rookie.”
