The Rookie star Eric Winter credits fans for helping to make one major romance happen. Created by Alexi Hawley, the long-running ABC is led by Firefly and Castle alum Nathan Fillion as John Nolan. But throughout more than 100 episodes, with season 7 confirmed, The Rookie‘s cast of characters has also developed strong support through fan art, fan fiction, and numerous discussion threads. That includes Tim Bradford (Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil). Together, they’re known as Chenford.

In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Winter openly discussed the Chenford phenomenon. The actor admitted that he never saw it happening, though he mentioned that it was joked about occasionally. Winter then credited the writers for running it, but he stressed that “the fans built this up and created it.” Read the full quote below:

I never saw it going in this direction. I’ve said it before, this was a relationship created by the fans for the fans. You know, the fans really dictated this. I knew we’d be a partnership and we joked about a little ship name as partners, but never thinking it would really go to where it went. The fans built this up and created it, the writers listened and the actors did their job to bring it on its feet. So I never saw it [coming]. But kudos to the fans because they created the movement.

The Rookie’s Chen & Bradford History & Shift, Explained

They’ve Had A Long Journey.

Chen and Bradford are an interesting example of prominent characters that get together, in part, because of the audiences’ push to see it happen. Going back to the police drama’s first episode, it doesn’t seem like the duo is headed in the most positive direction. She’s dating Nolan, while he refers to her in a seemingly dismissive way.

Things mellow between the two, and there’s even a prominent storyline in season 2, in which Bradford rescues Chen and stays by her bedside as she recovers. But like other characters in other procedurals, their on-screen interactions are somewhat ebb and flow. Often, they’re frequent scene partners, but it’s not until The Rookie season 4 that their relationship really starts to shift. Chen and Bradford go undercover in the season 4 finale, leading to a very memorable kiss.

They’ve had a few major milestones since, which is notable when considering popular pairings from other procedurals. Benson and Stabler, from Law & Order: SVU, have shared the screen on and off for decades but haven’t made the romantic jump. And to look at another fan-favorite duo that isn’t canon, like 9-1-1‘s Eddie and Buck, it’s been teased at times, but it’s only been left as one possibility among several others. Chenford has leaped to canon well before The Rookie season 7 and is stronger for it.

Source: RadioTimes.com