Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter never expected Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford to get together on The Rookie. When the ABC police procedural debuted in 2018, Chen and Bradford were paired up for the first time as rookie and training officer, respectively. And while they have both made strides professionally, a growing legion of fans began clamoring for them to become more than just colleagues — so much so that creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley pivoted to a slow-burn romance.
“When this all started, there were these hashtags, and it’s funny because we, as actors, threw around #Tucy and #Chenford early on, but it was really us playing with the fact that we were partners,” Winter told TV Guide in a joint interview with O’Neil. “The fans truly grabbed onto it from Day 1 and said, ‘They’re a couple! This needs to happen.’ And we’re like, ‘How?! I’m so mean to her. I’m a jerk all the time.’ I don’t think it really set in for us until they entertained it.”
There have certainly been a few close calls for “Chenford” fans over the years — including a fake confession scene, where O’Neil and Winter were convinced that Hawley was ready to pull the trigger on their characters’ relationship.
The Rookie Season 6: Everything We Know
“At that point, [the chatter] was really happening online, and we thought for sure that maybe there was subtext,” O’Neil recalls of shooting that scene. “We were asking [Hawley]: ‘Is this a true confession that she’s masking as a thing?’ And he goes, ‘No, it’s not. This is a joke.’ So I don’t know when it clicked. But I was surprised because even at that point, it wasn’t a thing.”
The fans finally got their wish in Season 5 of The Rookie. Now heading into the show’s sixth season, which premieres Feb. 20, Chen and Bradford’s work-life balance will be put to the test — and fans definitely won’t want to miss the milestone 100th episode.
In their first in-depth interview, which took place during the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, O’Neil and Winter chatted about the evolution of Chenford, how they work together as scene partners, and Winter’s unexpected love for TikTok.
Let’s get one of the most important questions out of the way: Who do you think fell first?
Winter: I get asked this all the time. [To O’Neil] I’m sure you do, too.
O’Neil: I don’t get asked this.
Winter: I always say Lucy.
OK, let’s say Lucy fell first. Can you pinpoint a specific moment when you notice a shift in this dynamic?
O’Neil: The first time Lucy ever played it — or that I intentionally played it as an actor — was definitely at that kiss moment. He was so cruel to her so many times that she was like, “I have nothing to do with this dude.” And then there’s that moment where there’s physical intimacy, and then chemistry does what chemistry does, and now she’s looking at him in a way that she didn’t before. But there’s always been love.
Winter: The only reason I said Lucy fell first is Tim has so many walls up, and he went through such a bad situation with his ex-wife. Tim had to let a lot more down to go: “I’m going to really let myself get to this place again with a partner and somebody I’m in the force with.” I feel like that’s my only justification, but I don’t think either of us really knows.
O’Neil: Yeah, there’s not a point I can pinpoint from an actor perspective. And even when I think about all the times that Lucy went out of her way to express her care, I really think that’s just her character. The only time I thought it was a little weird — and I tried to fish around to be like, “Why is she behaving like this?” — was when she followed him. I think it was in the pilot or shortly after
Winter: When I’m going to his ex-wife’s?
O’Neil: Yeah, I show up, and I’m like, “What are you doing?!”
Winter: But I do think that was an early part when fans started to go, “There’s something there. Why is she, as a rookie, going so far away out of her way to protect this guy who’s such a jerk to her? What does she see in him that she might like?”
O’Neil: You know what’s a fun tidbit? The first time that Chen and Bradford got into a fight — it was the first fight where she’s saying that she’s going out of her way to try to save him, and he’s giving her shit for it, for suicidal ideation or something like that. She’s like, “I was trying to protect you.” [Richard T. Jones, who plays Wade] was like, “I saw right from that scene that you guys were going to be something.” And we were like, “What are you talking about?” Richard’s the original Chenford person!
The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch in February
When you play work partners who eventually become romantic partners, there’s an important shift in physical and emotional intimacy that has to occur. Compared to last season, do you feel like there is a difference in the way you approach these “Chenford” scenes this season?
