‘The Rookie’: A Timeline of Chen & Bradford’s Relationship (So Far)
Never mind the good guys and bad guys on The Rookie — it’s #Chenford fans who are “quite a force to be reckoned with,” as star Eric Winter told us last year.
Winter and costar Melissa O’Neil cultivated Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen’s chemistry for four seasons before the two characters even shared a kiss on the ABC procedural. And that fourth-season-finale lip-lock — part of an undercover operation for the characters — was “supposed to be perfunctory,” The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley told us in 2022. “But it really opened up a door that the audience has wanted us to open for a long time,” he added.
Indeed, the couple dubbed Chenford finally went official — and aboveboard — in Season 5. Now a new season is upon us, and only the Rookie writers know what’s in store for these LAPD lovebirds. Before the Season 6 premiere, check out Chen and Bradford’s love story so far in the gallery below.
The Rookie, Season 6 Premiere, Tuesday, February 20, 9/8c, ABC
Training Officer Meets Trainee (Season 1, Episode 1)
In The Rookie’s debut episode, the #Chenford relationship gets off to an inauspicious start. As her training officer, Bradford talks down to Chen — who’s dating Nolan (Nathan Fillion) at the time — and refers to her as “Boot.”
The Bet (Season 2, Episode 3)
By Season 2’s “The Bet,” however, Chen and Bradford are close enough to be making friendly wagers. Specifically, she sets him up on a date with her friend Rachel (Jasmine Mathews), and when the date goes well, she wins the right to wear short sleeves.
Saving Chen’s Life (Season 2, Episode 11)
Season 2’s “Day of Death” has the team searching for an abducted Chen, and it’s Bradford who spots her ring on the ground and finds her buried alive — and barely alive — in a barrel below. He performs lifesaving CPR and even stays by her hospital bed as she recuperates.
Staying Chen’s T.O. (Season 2, Episode 13)
After Bradford places eighth out of 140 test-takers in the sergeant’s exam in Season 2’s “Follow-Up Day,” Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones) offers to make him a sergeant in two weeks’ time. But Bradford puts off the promotion for more time with Chen. “Tim Bradford finishes what he starts,” he tells her. “I haven’t finished training you yet.”
So Long, Rachel (Season 2, Episode 20)
In “The Hunt,” the Season 2 finale, Bradford tells Chen he’s going to break up with Rachel, who’s leaving for a dream job in New York, because “long distance never works.” He has a change of heart just before Rachel leaves, though, and tells her he wants to give long distance a shot… but that’s the last fans of The Rookie have seen of Rachel.
Lucy Chen, Sergeant’s Aide (Season 4, Episode 3)
After a relatively Chenford-less third season, Chen and Bradford reunite in Season 4’s “In the Line of Fire” when she volunteers to be his sergeant’s aide. Chen claims she’s doing it to “stand out come promotion time,” even if it means putting up with his “Tim Tests” and his old-school code of honor again.
Double Date (Season 4, Episode 12)
Later in Season 4, Bradford starts dating Ashley McGrady (Helena Mattsson), the daughter of a police officer. And in “The Knock,” he sets Chen up with Assistant District Attorney Chris Sanford (Kanoa Goo) for a double date with him and Ashley. Over dinner at a fancy restaurant, though, it’s clear Bradford and Chen have the best connection of the group.
A Kiss Rehearsal (Season 4, Episode 22)
Chen and Bradford prepare to go undercover as boyfriend and girlfriend in the Season 4 finale, “Day in the Hole,” and so they practice PDA at Chen’s place (surrounded by lit candles, of course). And let’s just say they really commit to the performance…
Dating at Last (Season 5, Episode 9)
By Season 5’s “Take Back,” Bradford has broken up with Ashley and has asked Chen out, but she tells him she needs to give Chris the heave-ho first. She does, and then Bradford plays coy, pretending to forget what he was going to ask her. She threatens violence, so he asks her out on a date.
A Court Liaison’s Liaisons (Season 5, Episode 12)
Bradford tells Grey about his relationship with Chen in Season 5’s “Death Notice” and agrees to become a court liaison sergeant so that he’s no longer in her chain of command. He tells Chen about the transfer that night, and though she’s worried he’ll grow bored in a desk job, he tells her it doesn’t matter. And less than a minute later, he’s shirtless and following her to her bedroom…
Talking About Kids Already (Season 5, Episode 17)
Bradford isn’t too concerned when he and Chen lose track of a kid they are supposed to be watching in Season 5’s “The Enemy Within,” and when Chen questions his calm demeanor, they start talking about the (hypothetical) children in their future. “If we ever lose our kids, I’m gonna need you to take this a lot more seriously,” she says. He replies: “Hold up, our kids would know better than to pull a stunt like this.”
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