The Rookie’s Eric Winter Says Tim Will Have to Earn ‘Love of His Life’ Lucy’s ‘Trust’ in Season 7

The Rookie star Eric Winter knows his character, Tim Bradford, made a mess of things when he called it quits with the “love of his life” Lucy Chen in season 6 — but that doesn’t mean the fan favorite duo won’t make a comeback.

“[Tim] is trying to do whatever he can to make things better, to really earn [Lucy’s] trust back, whether it’s as a friend or more,” Winter, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly while hosting Palm Republic’s California Kick Off at the Juniper Lounge and Garden at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood on Saturday, October 12. “And we see him go through therapy, we see him go through veterans groups. We see him start to talk to people and share what it’s been like for him. And at the same time, I think he’s trying to be the best coworker he can still be and find a way to, like I said, earn [Lucy’s] trust back. So we’re seeing a lot of that out the gate.”

After five seasons of “will they or won’t they,” on the hit ABC cop procedural, longtime partners Tim and Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) finally admitted their feelings for one another and sparked a romantic relationship. That came to a crashing end, however, just one season later when Tim ended the relationship after hiding secrets from Lucy about his history in the Army. The deceit also ultimately got him let go from his LAPD precinct, leading him to seek professional help from a therapist to work through his anger and issues related to his past.

While season 6 featured a shortened 10-episode order due to the simultaneous writer’s and actor’s strikes, season 7, which is set to premiere in January 2025, will consist of 18 episodes. That means there will be plenty of time for Tim to explore his trauma — and find a way back into Lucy’s life.

It’s a dark time for the character, but Winter is enjoying delving into the more complex story lines. “You can expect a lot of twists and turns already,” he teased of what’s to come. “It’s been one of my favorite seasons, to be honest. We’re already a character driven procedural. It’s all about us. But I feel like every year we just dive in more and more with these characters.”

Winter noted that Tim will continue “working on himself,” which viewers got a glimpse of during the backend of season 6, and understanding his reasons for letting the “love of his life” go.

“Let’s say maybe everybody thinks that that’s his girl and he leaves her high and dry for no reason because [he’s] working on himself,” he explained. “And you’re seeing him put in the work this season, you’re seeing her process that and how they can work together as colleagues. And we’ll see if the romance is going to build back into something or not.”

Winter, of course, is well aware he is half of one of the most popular couples — or former couples, as it may be — on network TV right now, and he fully understands the responsibility that comes along with pleasing the fans.

“It’s the craziest — it’s bigger than anything I’ve ever been a part of,” he gushed of Tim and Lucy’s beloved dynamic, dubbed “Chenford” by viewers, adding that it’s “always nerve wracking” portraying something that was ultimately “created” by fan outcry.

“I’ll be honest, [Tim and Lucy] were never supposed to end up together,” Winter confessed. “This was never part of the scripted journey. The fans saw something between these two that was so opposite, and thought they needed to be together and really pushed it. And the writers listened.”

Winter credits The Rookie creator, Alexi [Hawley], for listening to what the viewers wanted and crafting a “beautiful story” for Tim and Lucy in response. “It plays out and the ebbs and flows in the long burn,” he added. “So it’s hard to live up to their expectations because it is their baby in a way too. But we’re getting there and I think they’re going to love it. I think they’re going to love where we’re headed.”

Fans, Winter said, should be ready for bigger “everything” this season. “It’s more action, it’s more comedy,” he told Us. “The stakes are always high and you’re going to learn so much about all of us even more.”

As Winter continues to work on delivering the best TV show for fans with The Rookie, he’s also focused on his new rum, Palm Republic. The actor told Us the brand was inspired by wife Roselyn Sánchez’s parents offering him the spirit when they first met nearly 20 years ago.

“My wife’s Puerto Rican, I’m from the U.S. and it was like bringing people together,” he explained. “That was sort of the idea behind it.”

“We are taking pride in doing something elevated: no added sugar, no added color, just no [added] flavors,” he continued. “You’re getting rum as it’s intended and it’s high quality. And even the look and design of our bottles, we want it to be classy, upscale. We want you to get outside of the dusty bottles, the pirates, the maps, and go, ‘Rum is not that.’”

As for his personal favorite rum cocktail, Winter said nothing can beat the Republic Old Fashioned and Palm Republic Paper Plane.

The Rookie’s Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter Answer Burning Questions About Chenford’s Shocking Split

“To me, Old Fashioned has always been one of my go-tos,” he told Us. “And our Palm Republic sits incredible with it. And also, one I just started trying is a Paper Plane, which is typically, again, a bourbon rye drink. It’s so freaking good with Palm Republic.”

Palm Republic is currently sold online and initially launched in stores in Florida. The brand will be expanding to retail stores throughout the country.