“Heading For A Good Place”: The Rookie Showrunner’s Jaw-Dropping Relationship Reveal After Season 7 Finale!

The Rookie season 7 finale moved one big relationship forward, and now showrunner Alexi Hawley is sharing what fans can expect from these beloved characters in season 8 of the ABC procedural.

The Rookie season 7, episode 18, “The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar” concluded with a cliffhanger, and viewers are definitely in for a fun ride next season. The highly rated series has been a huge success for ABC and continues to draw in viewers who appreciate the humorous tone, interesting dynamics between the main characters, and the unique premise. While John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) isn’t technically a rookie cop now because he’s worked for the LAPD for several years, he’s still a hilarious, corny, and joyful character. Now that the current season has wrapped up, Hawley gave an interesting update about one fan-favorite relationship.

Showrunner Alexi Hawley Talked About Lucy Chen And Tim Bradford’s Relationship After The Rookie Season 7 Finale

In an interview with Deadline, showrunner Alexi Hawley answered a question about whether Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) will have more trouble in their relationship in The Rookie season 8. Hawley said:

“It’s still early days, we just started the room last week for Season 8, but probably not. I do feel like ultimately, the Season 7 journey of their repairing their relationship is almost at an end, and so I don’t want to just introduce obstacles to introduce obstacles.”

He continued:

“So, no, probably not. I think, we’re heading for a good place in Season 8.”

Since Tim broke up with Lucy in The Rookie season 6, episode 6, “Secrets and Lies,” fans have watched Chenford, as they are called, dance around the idea of getting back together. While The Rookie season 7 finale features an action-packed storyline and Nolan tracks down Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave), Lucy and Tim also get the spotlight. After trying to find time to talk to each other while Lucy begins working the night shift after her promotion to sergeant, Tim makes Lucy breakfast and tells her he wants them to move in together. Based on Hawley’s comments, it seems likely that when the show comes back for season 8, Tim will repeat what he said to Lucy, and they’ll begin living together. As the showrunner said, it seems unlikely that this breakup will be drawn out for much longer.

While O’Neil and Winter are best known for their The Rookie characters, both actors have appeared on many other TV shows. O’Neil played Two/Portia Lin on the science-fiction series Dark Matter, which aired from 2015 to 2017, and played Suki in a few episodes of iZombie. Besides playing Jason McCallister on the family drama Brothers & Sisters and Dash Gardiner on Witches of East End, Winter has a soap opera background and portrayed Rex Brady on Days of Our Lives from 2002 to 2005.

Besides Nolan and Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), who were given an adoption storyline this past season, Chenford are the most popular couple on The Rookie, and no one wants to see them apart for much longer. Although keeping characters apart can be an effective storytelling strategy and can make viewers want to tune into a series, fans have been waiting for Chenford to reunite for a long time. When The Rookie season 8 premieres as part of ABC’s midseason broadcast schedule in January 2026, fans can likely expect a meaningful conversation between Lucy and Tim and even more forward momentum in their relationship.