The Rookie’sTim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) have been a massive part of the show’s success, buttheir reconciliation arc could’ve used a hint of this 21-year-old storythat revolutionized the exes-to-lovers pipeline. While Tim and Lucy’s relationship has been a slow burn, the way the pair flamed out duringThe Rookieseason 6after getting together was disappointing.
While the pair appeared to be struggling in some measures,watching Tim and Lucy’s relationship movefrom a professional power imbalance to a full-blown romance was something fans desperately wanted to see. It’s because of that desperation, perhaps, that there were some corners cut in getting the couple together.Tim & Lucy dove into something serious without much concernor hesitation.
Though Tim and Lucy had grown to know each other more personally over the years ofThe Rookie,the shift from their professional relationship to their romantic connection hit a quick snagwhen it became clearthat there were pieces of Lucy’s jobTim wasn’t okay with. Instead of addressing the gaps in their relationship,The Rookieforged ahead with bigger stories.
When Tim and Lucy broke up duringThe Rookieseason 6,fans were devastated and uncertain of why it had happened. Instead of following the path back to how the pair came together, haphazardly and without much discussion, viewers looked to the issues they’d seen play out earlier in the season, and struggled to piece together an explanation about the split.
ThroughoutThe Rookieseason 7, Tim and Lucy have revolved around each other in a way that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Rather than having them grow individually to eventually come back together stronger and prepared for their relationship to flourish, Tim and Lucy have been focused elsewhere.The Rookie’swriters may have beensmart to take cues from one decades-old reunion arc.
ER Season 3 Gave Doug & Carol Room To Become Friends
The Former Couple Rebuilt Their Foundation
Throughout the first seasons ofER, Doug Ross (George Clooney) and Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) are shown in different phases of their relationship. When viewers meet the former couple, they’re still flirtatious despite having been broken up after a two-year stretch of seemingly on-again, off-again romance. After Carol attempts suicide, Doug’s push to get back together is ultimately a failure.
For two seasons of the show,Doug and Carol remain exes who revolve around one another and work well together, but aren’t actively in a romantic relationship. ByERseason 3, Doug and Carol’s connection has been repaired in a way that finally allows them to establish a foundation. After spending seasons working on themselves, the pair finally come to a place of friendship.
Doug & Carol’s ER Romance Set The Tone For Procedural Exes Reuniting
They Were The Exes-To-Lovers Blueprint
ThroughoutERseason 3, viewers watch as Doug reaches a breaking point and has to find a new path forward. While this doesn’t immediately mean he starts looking to re-establish his romance with Carol, it allows him to get to a point where he can understand himself so that, eventually,he realizes a relationship with Carol is what he wants.
By allowing the characters to have time apart from their romance where they’re actively in each other’s lives without romantic intention,ERgave Doug and Carol the abilityto get to know one another from a new perspective. Instead of pushing the romantic undertones of their connection harder,the writers pulled back and exposed new layers of their complex relationship.
This let the characters gravitate to each other more naturally, still showing off their close bond and intense connection. By establishing a friendship for the pair, the series showed what their relationship looked like rather than simply telling viewers where they stood. The Doug and Carol reunion arc wasn’t smooth, butestablished a blueprint for future reunion arcs on procedurals.
Other Procedurals Have Used ER’s Epic Relationship As Inspiration
Fire Country Recent Referenced The Relationship
While the majority of procedurals have similar tones and stories to work with, one has referenced the iconic relationship in a recent interview withDeadline. In talking through changes,Fire Country’sco-creator Tony Phelan explained that a romance on the series may feel similar to the epicERromance. Despite contextual differences,ER’sDoug and Carol have proven to be a masterclass for procedurals.
The Rookie Season 7 Could’ve Shaped Tim & Lucy’s Reunion Similarly
They Needed A Friends Phase Before Jumping Into Romance
AlthoughTim and Lucy’s connection was builtfrom the beginning of the series,The Rookiemissed a pivotal step in re-building their romantic relationship. Rather than bringing them to a place of friendship before putting the pair together, the series leaped from professional to romantic, dropping the ball in a way. When the pair broke up, they quickly fell backwards.
Instead of having a friendship to fall back on, though, Tim and Lucy’s connection was based in a professional setting. With their reunion obvious as the show moved forward,The Rookiehad the chance to build thatfoundation of friendship for Tim and Lucy. Had the writers looked back at a story like Doug & Carol’s,the Chenford reunion might have looked different.
By skipping ahead and focusing on the relationship in a deeply romantic context,The Rookie’swriters missed out on focusing on building a rich relationship that felt lived-in, believable, and worth the wait. Instead, the series has moved ahead quickly and seemed to focus on putting the romantic pieces of the puzzle back together.The Rookiecould’ve learned fromER’sblueprint.
The Rookie
Cast
The Rookie follows John Nolan, a small-town man who embarks on a new career as an LAPD officer after a life-changing event. As the force’s oldest rookie, Nolan faces skepticism from superiors who view his pursuit as a midlife crisis.
ER
In Cook County General Hospital’s emergency department, the doctors and nurses tackle every patient’s medical puzzles, all while dealing with the challenges in their personal and professional lives.
