The upcoming fourth season of ABC’s cop procedural The Rookie may be looking a bit different for one character. While Eric Winter’s Tim Bradford has been a Training Officer for a while now, he could finally be moving up in the ranks, at least according to showrunner Alexi Hawley.
Bradford did end up passing his sergeant’s exam last season but he had been waiting for a spot to open up. While that didn't happen in Season 3, Bradford's time is seemingly coming in Season 4. The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley previewed what's on the way, telling TVLine:
I think it’s time for him to make a bit of a change, because he’s super-comfortable being a TO. Like, he knows how to do that, so let’s give him something to do that he’s going to have to learn.
Bradford taking his place as a sergeant would definitely change things. He’s so used to being a TO, watching rookies move up, befriending them (even a little too much). But being a sergeant, he would have to do completely different calls and not have as much time with others, such as Lucy, as Hawley pointed out:
[Bradford is a supervisor] that responds to the higher-end calls — living somewhere between patrol officer and detective, basically. He’s still out there being active and maybe recruiting CIs, being a different version of who he is right now but in a way that obviously is inclusive to Lucy and to our other characters.
Tim Bradford is not the only character that will be seeing changes in the upcoming season. Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan will also be getting a promotion, now that he’s finally worked his way up to P2 status. That said, Bradford probably won't be getting his promotion right when the show returns for the new season, as first they need to find out what happened to the pregnant Detective Lopez at her wedding. Fingers crossed that everything turns out okay, for her, Wes, and the baby. It’s likely the search will give our LAPD favorites the time to shine as they try to find her.
It will be interesting to see just what Bradford’s promotion will be like, if he does get one. Could it be possible that it may also take him to a different station somewhere in the city or the suburbs? His relationship with Lucy is definitely one to look out for so it might lead to some complications for their future, but since it may not happen right away, fans still have a little bit of time with them while they figure it out.
Fortunately, the wait for more Rookie is almost at an end. Season 4 premieres on Sunday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
