Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for The Rookie season 7, episode 18.

Summary

Lucy and Tim face challenges post-promotion, viewers eager for reconciliation.
Showrunner hints at Chenford reconciliation for season 8.
Fans anticipate drama and chemistry between lead characters in The Rookie season 8.

The Rookie season 7 finale focused prominently on Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) and Tim Bradford's (Eric Winter) rocky relationship, and one cast member shared their thoughts about what could be next for the popular couple.

At the end of The Rookie season 7, episode 18, "The Good, The Bad, and the Oscar," Lucy and Tim share a heartwarming scene when he makes her breakfast after her night shift. Since Lucy was promoted to sergeant after passing her exam, she and Tim aren't working the same hours anymore, which makes it tricky to see each other or talk about their failed relationship. Now that there are several months before The Rookie season 8 premieres, fans are curious about how this couple could find their way back to each other. While the next season will no doubt feature more crimes, cheesy jokes from John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), and some returning villains, fans are mostly focused on Chenford.

John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) on The Rookie

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By Aya Tsintziras

Eric Winter Talked About Chenford After The Rookie Season 7 Finale, Which Featured A Big Lucy/Tim Storyline

Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) on The Rookie

In an interview with TV Line alongside his co-stars Richard T. Jones, who plays Wade Grey, and Deric Augistine, who portrays new rookie Miles Penn and was recently made a series regular, Eric Winter talked about what could happen to Chenford in The Rookie season 8.

Standing on the blue carpet of the Disney upfronts, Winter was asked what Tim Bradford would do after asking Lucy Chen to move in with him in The Rookie season 7 finale. Winter said:

"probably act like it never happened so he doesn't have egg on his face."

The actor added:

"his next move, I actually am very curious about that, how he's going to play it off."

Jones says Tim will "beg" Lucy to move in with him, which is possible given how badly Tim feels about hurting Lucy. Winter added that it won't be a storyline that can be resolved quickly or smoothly and said:

"he failed her once in a big way... So I think it's going to be fun to see how that plays out, to be honest. It complicates it, which I like."

Showrunner Alexi Hawley recently said Lucy and Tim are "heading for a good place" in The Rookie season 8, and it sounds like it's a matter of when, not if, the couple gets back together. A few episodes ago, when the former pair was stuck at Westview Psychiatric Hospital and truth serum made them vulnerable, Tim admitted that he had made a mistake. Lucy said she forgave him, which fans cheered about.

Similar to Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1 and Chicago P.D., which is also about police officers, The Rookie gives equal airtime to shocking crimes and the personal dynamics between the main characters. Chenford has clear chemistry from the start, and after bonding and becoming close friends, they start dating in season 5. Fans tune in for Lucy and Tim's banter as much as for the chase scenes and action-packed moments. Lucy and Tim are also widely considered some of the best characters on the show, and their opposite personalities work well together.

Besides waiting for The Rookie season 8 premiere, which will air on ABC in January 2026, fans are also curious if the procedural will get a second spinoff. After the cancellation of The Rookie: Feds, there was talk of a new spinoff, and Hawley still hopes it gets off the ground. While it would be a shame if that didn't happen, fans will hopefully get more of Chenford when the beloved drama comes back.

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