Season 7 of The Rookie, the ABC show starring Nathan Fillion, is right around the corner, with a release date set for release on January 25th. The much-beloved cop drama will return with lots of new challenges for its heroes, and some characters will look to return to their season 1 roots.
The series started with the premise that Fillion would join the LAPD as a middle-aging recruit, trained by the best of Los Angeles’ law enforcement officers, including Officer Tim Bradford (Eric Winters). Bradford, who went on to date his former training officer, Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil), is now dealing with the result of their breakup and will be looking to return to familiar ground—back to being a training officer.
The ABC show is returning for an 18-episode run, which has promised to be nearly uninterrupted, minus a possible address from the Oval Office.
The Rookie Fans Are Eager to Find Out What Happened to Chenford
Bradford and Chen have long been a pairing that fans have yearned to see on the show. The two have been on a slow-burn towards a relationship since Season 1 paired the two together as rookie and TO (training officer).
It was only in Season 4 that we started to see the first sparks of Chenford, as the two were paired together for an undercover mission. Playing the part of their doppelgangers, who were in a relationship, the two decided to practice being a couple with a kiss at the end of Season 4. Unfortunately, fans had to wait a little longer into Season 5 until the two admitted their feelings in full and began dating. In fairness, as both of them were in relationships at the time, it may have been the better move by the showrunners).
After getting closer in Season 5, they found themselves moving apart in Season 6. In the last season, Bradford found himself in a position where he was lying to Chen about his past, which included details about a former college from his Army days. Bradford went on seeking professional help for his issues and, towards the end of the season, was saved by Chen in a high-speed pursuit.
Whilst the two did not get back together, Bradford did promise Chen to pay her back for her kindness, suggesting he intended to win her back.
What Eric Winter’s Has Revealed About Bradford’s Season 7 Journey
Magazine, Eric Winters talked about Chenford and his character’s journey in the upcoming season. In talking about his character, Winter stated that Bradford would be coming full circle – back to being a training officer as he was in Season 1. Winters believed that this would be good for fans as “people always loved [training officer] Tim, I think people liked Metro Tim, but I think people do like training officer Tim.”
Winters also spoke about the much-anticipated reunion of Bradford and Chen, saying, ““I think we’re going to see Tim and Lucy continue learning how to navigate their feelings while on the job. We’ll see them pick up in a place where they’ve shown that they care about each other, and now they have to figure out, ‘Can we give each other space to do our job and allow our feelings to stay in a safe place but not rush anything and hope one person doesn’t go astray?'”
