The series The Rookie had a rough patch with a very shortened Season 6. A major subplot was Chenford, the relationship between Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), who faced difficulties. Lucy suspected that Tim might be sabotaging her efforts to become a detective, mistakenly thinking he was protecting her. This mistrust led to a breakup, leaving fans wondering about the couple’s future.
Tim’s temper didn’t help in the field, leading him to see a therapist and then embark on a personal mission to confront a soldier who betrayed his unit. Although the situation was resolved, the mistrust between the couple pushed Tim to end the relationship. Despite this, they both had to keep working together, creating tension in the team.
Tim also had to deal with a conspiracy of corrupt lawyers, his own therapist, and ties to a criminal cartel. This culminated in an explosive finale where Tim finally apologized to Lucy for his behavior, hoping to reconcile. However, fans of The Rookie are wondering if this means the couple is back together, but it might not be that quick.
The series has been on a long hiatus, as ABC decided to postpone its premiere until January 7, 2025. The good news is that when it airs, The Rookie Season 7 will have all its 18 episodes without interruptions. Co-showrunner Alexi Hawley shared with TVLine that Tim will face a challenge in trying to regain Lucy’s trust.
“He’s not done with the work he has to do. Lucy doesn’t fully trust him now, so there’s a lot of trust that needs to be rebuilt, and it can’t happen in just a few weeks. But I like that we really faced [Tim’s issues] head-on and it was really based on something organic.”
Everything indicates that the reconciliation of Chenford in The Rookie Season 7 will take some time
Season 6 had to be cut down to just ten episodes due to the Hollywood strikes of 2023, which made the Chenford breakup a bit rushed. It’s logical that trying to reconcile will take more time, as it’s easier to break something than to fix it, and that applies to relationships too.
The couple has their own struggles, with Lucy still wanting to become a detective and Tim overcoming issues with the compromised cops’ conspiracy. They know they can’t go back to what they were before the breakup, but there’s potential to avoid past mistakes. The possibility of a good reunion is a reason to be optimistic about The Rookie and make the wait for Season 7 worthwhile.
