Characters are moving forward by leaps and bounds on The Rookie. Between Celina Juarez acclimating to being a cop and a conscious effort to improve Bailey Nune, the series has been trying to push its heroes forward. The most important character development in The Rookie Season 5 has been Chenford. Fans are finally getting to see how Chen and Bradford work as a couple.
Due to extenuating circumstances, the fan-favorite pair had an awkward start, but their relationship has been progressing reasonably well ever since. Now thanks to Chen's efforts, Bradford has a brand-new job at Metro. Not only does that solve their chain of command issue, but it will also make The Rookie much more believable and dramatically expand the series' storytelling potential.
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How The Rookie Used Chenford to Expand Its Universe
Like many other networks, ABC decided to grow The Rookie into a franchise with The Rookie: Feds. That series laid the foundation for future growth. But rather than green light a Chenford spinoff, The Rookie chose to further expand within its own confines. That expansion came via Bradford getting a new job as the Metro Police Liaison. It was his second new position in just a handful of episodes.
When Chenford became official, there were problems because Bradford and Chen were in the same chain of command. Chen decided to request a transfer in Season 5, Episode 12, "Death Notice." But before she could file the paperwork, Bradford accepted a new role as Court Liaison Sergeant. Once he found out that was an extremely boring desk job, Chen and the rest of The Rookie's squad pulled some strings and got him hired by LAPD Metro.
Naturally, that suggests Metro will be a more frequent presence on the series. And by adding in a new division of the LAPD, The Rookie could introduce a whole swath of fresh characters. Having the Metro characters occasionally appear — or even guest-star on The Rookie: Feds — will be a great way to have more figures involved on a week-to-week basis.
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How Bradford's New Job Makes The Rookie More Believable
The Rookie's patrol cops have had to handle everything in the first four and a half seasons — all the high-profile cases, terrorist threats and anything else the writers have dreamed up. Those type of things are better suited for forces like Tim's new unit. If the series can call on the highly-trained Metro officers when things get particularly difficult, the patrol cops can go back to actual patrol operations. That gives the show an extra amount of credibility.
The Metro team consisted of some gritty characters, and at first Bradford had some trouble fitting in with their rigid methods. However, he eventually got the hang of it and they worked well as a team during their first field operation. But now there are more storytelling options as Bradford continues to try and fit in, or if his ideas conflict with his new teammates. Plus, will Bradford learn that Chen was responsible for him getting the job? There's a lot that The Rookie can do with Tim Bradford's new role.
The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 8:00 pm on ABC.
