The Rookie Season 6 set up fan-favorite couple, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) (fondly known as Chenford by fans) for a potentially sizzling arc following their break-up midway through the season. Though their split was disappointing, to say the least, the aftermath proved beyond doubt that the pair still had the hots for each other. When the show returns with season 7 within a few weeks, Chenford’s relationship will remain a major plot point and fans will be more than eager to see how the dynamic between the exes plays out as they continue to work together. Show creator, Alex Hawley recently teased what the future holds for the pair, and it appears our favorite slow-burn couple is not done tugging at our heartstrings.
The new update regarding Tim and Lucy’s romance surfaced courtesy of TVLine’s “Matt’s Inside Line,” a column where the outlet’s Chief Content Officer Matt Webb Mitovich replies to burning questions from fans about their favorite shows. Replying to a Chenford fan who wondered “how much groveling will Tim have to do in order to get back in Lucy’s good graces,” Matt revealed that Tim will need more introspection rather than groveling to help mend things with Lucy. He further referenced show creator Hawley’s comments that Lucy will be dealing with a bit of trust issues, which is understandable given how Tim completely blindsided her about his reason for breaking up with her. Matt wrote:
“I wouldn’t say Tim has groveling ahead, just continued introspection and self-improvement. As showrunner Alexi Hawley put it, “He’s not done with the work he’s got to do. Lucy doesn’t fully trust him now, so there’s a lot of trust that needs to be re-earned, and it can’t just happen in a few weeks. But I like that we really faced [Tim’s issues] head-on and it was really based on something organic.”
Chenford Will Begin ‘The Rookie’ Season 7 With A Sense of Positivity
The second half of The Rookie Season 6 gave audiences reasons to believe that Lucy still does care about Tim. From offering her support when he was being questioned by Detective Pierson over the frame-up for Detective Mad Dog to literally saving his life during an operation in the season finale, Lucy does appear to understand why Tim had to call-off their relationship the way he did. Their relationship might be strained, but there’s room to work things and, from the get-go, the new season will present them with an opportunity to begin fixing things. Hawley teased what to expect from a potential Chenford reunion in an interview with TV Insider, saying:
“By the end of last season, Tim and Lucy had worked through a lot of the emotional damage Tim caused by blowing up their relationship. It was important to us to come into Season 7 with a sense of positivity, of them having gotten to a place where the old dynamics could start to kick back in — while they try and navigate whether there’s a way back to what they had.”
