The Rookie: Eric Winter on How Fans Made “Chenford” Happen & More
The Rookie star Eric Winter shares how the show’s fans made “Chenford” happen and how much he appreciates their love and support.
Though the seventh season won’t be hitting ABC screens until 2025, filming on series creator Alexi Hawley’s Nathan Fillion, Eric Winter, and Melissa O’Neil-starring The Rookie is already underway – which means we get to enjoy part of our collective summer having some fun with updates on how filming is going. It also means that the cast gets to do some promoting of the series – and that brought us some great insights from Winter into two very important aspects of the series. With the sixth season of the hit series officially premiering on UK’s Sky and NOW today, Winter shared with RadioTimes.com that the prospect of his Tim Bradford and O’Neil’s Lucy Chen eventually becoming romantically involved was something he “never” expected. So, who does the actor credit for making “Chenford” happen? For Winter, that’s an easy one.
“I never saw it going in this direction. I’ve said it before: this was a relationship created by the fans for the fans,” Winter shared. “You know, the fans really dictated this. I knew we’d be a partnership, and we joked about a little ship name as partners – but never thinking it would really go to where it went,” he added. “The fans built this up and created it, the writers listened, and the actors did their job to bring it on its feet. So I never saw it [coming]. But kudos to the fans because they created the movement.”
Speaking of the show’s fans, to save that they are faithful and dedicated would be an understatement. In fact, The Rookie fandom deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to most committed fanbase going – and they don’t have a multi-series franchise like other fans do (RIP, The Rookie: Feds). That passion isn’t lost on Winter – and it’s more than appreciated. “It’s the best fandom I’ve ever been a part of,” he shared. “I’ve never seen or been a part of something that was this massive, especially on social media, where the fans just live and breathe this relationship and the show.”
Winter continued, “I keep tabs on it, I see what people are talking about. I just love the support. I love the passion our fans have, and the commitment – they give it their all and they do so much extra side work just to promote [the show]. I also love the relationships that have been formed on social media with so many fans where they meet, and they become friends and take trips to see each other – it’s a community.”
