Image via ABC
Published Feb 19, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
Denis is a news writer for Collider with close to five years of experience in the industry. He has analyzed shows across different genres, formats and styles. His favorite types of articles to write are exciting news updates and episodic deep-dives. He might say he doesn't have a favorite show, but he has watched The Wire, Shameless, The Big Bang Theory, and The Blacklist more than once. Denis is increasingly becoming focused on the global streaming arena and how media connects with audiences in various markets. Find him on X tweeting about something random that occurred to him about a TV show or the industry in general.
Sign in to your Collider account
The Rookie Season 8 has the times Chenford's fans used to pray for. Tim (Eric Winter) and Lucy (Melissa O'Neil) have worked through the issues that kept them apart, and now they are a proper couple — for the most part. Their journey through the seasons has been full of peaks and valleys as they learn to become better versions of themselves so that they can show up better in the relationship. With the current situation in Season 8, Chenford seems to have a future, and Winter has already thought about what that looks like. The actor appeared on an episode of I've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario, where he discussed his career, life, and his role in one of the most popular fictional pairings on television.
"It's the wildest ... I don't even understand it. Bradford was such a jerk to Chen for so many seasons, right?" the actor said when asked if he ever anticipated the couple's popularity reaching this level. The early dynamics in the show put Tim and Lucy on different sides, with the former being the tough T.O. and Lucy being the aspirational boot. It's no wonder she gravitated towards a less chaotic person like John Nolan (Nathan Fillion). Did you forget that Lucy and Nolan dated? "People forget all about that," Winter said. He also teased a planned twist for the series finale, but didn't reveal what it is. "We have a great twist that Nathan and I, we've always talked about something that would be a great ending in the series finale, when it happens at some point," the actor teased. Would that twist please Chenford's fans? After all, they manifested this union.
'The Rookie's Fans Made Chenford the Ross and Rachel of the Show
Winter credits the show's dedicated fandom for seeing Lucy and Tim's vision. "We have this guy who treated her just awful and fans were like 'They need to be together,'" the actor said. "But they saw a softer side of him, and they realized he's broken; she can fix him. . . . . And it has become the Ross and Rachel of like Friends. It's become that internationally." And for all the ups and downs they've been through, Winter thinks Chen and Bradford deserve a happy ending — marriage, kids, all that stuff. "I think it would be the right way for the characters and the fans," he said. But every chapter brings its own challenges, and for now, living together presents enough challenges to explore.
New episodes of The Rookie air on ABC on Mondays. In next week's episode, "Nolan and Garza (Felix Solis) lead a high-stakes operation that quickly goes south. Lucy and Tim navigate their relationship when an unexpected visitor shows up. Meanwhile, the team conducts a citywide search for a suspect," reads the official logline.
You can watch Eric Winter on the I've Never Said This Before Podcast on YouTube or listen on Spotify.
Release Date October 16, 2018
Showrunner Alexi Hawley
Directors Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
Writers Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
English (US) ·