Eric Winter always thought his character Sergeant Tim Bradford was going to be a favourite with fans of The Rookie, but he didn’t expect the show to still be breaking ratings records eight seasons in.
When told the long-running cop drama was TVNZ+’s most watched series of 2025, the Good Doctor and The Mentalist actor, 49, laughs, “It’s just incredible! No show’s growing eight seasons on – they’re all going down. We’re a true unicorn. Typically getting new viewers doesn’t happen when you’re going into season nine.”
With the eighth series of The Rookie now streaming on the same platform, Los Angeles-born Eric – who has two kids with his wife, Without A Trace actress Roselyn Sánchez, 53 – talks to Woman’s Day about his character’s slow-burn romance, the finale that’s set to break the internet and his plans to visit Down Under…
Tim gets a big promotion this season. How does he handle life away from the streets?
On one side, it feels like a blessing – he’s been working for this his whole career. But at the same time, it helps him appreciate what he had because Tim loves to be in the action, making a difference. When you’re doing paperwork and dealing with the higher-ups, it’s a totally different ballgame.
Tim wasn’t a particularly popular character when the show first started, was he?
Look, Tim is such a complicated character and every year, I’ve been given these new layers to peel back that I didn’t expect. Eventually, fans were like, “Oh, there’s something more to him.” He’s carrying heavy baggage and they started to realise that this is a man who will go to all lengths to protect the people he cares about. That’s a redeeming quality I’ve loved playing.
Tim’s romance with Sergeant Lucy Chen, played by Melissa O’Neill, has been called a contemporary version of Ross and Rachel from Friends. Do you feel any pressure to live up to that?
Yeah, tonnes of pressure – that’s one of the best love stories of all time! But I think for this younger generation who didn’t grow up with Friends, it’s been a great newfound shift. I don’t think we’re seeing a lot of true slow-burn relationships built to that degree on TV any more. That’s why fans are gravitating towards it. The audience has really got behind this idea of two people who just never seem to fit together seemingly being perfect for each other. That’s been the shock that no one saw coming and the fans really hyped it up. That’s why we’re so successful.
The season ends on a major cliffhanger that’s set to send fans into a frenzy. What was your reaction when you first read that ending?
I was like, “Uh-oh, the internet’s going to go crazy.” The showrunner always gives the fans what they want, then just flips it upside down for the finale and makes everybody stress out.
The show’s ratings are growing going into season eight. Did you ever think it would get to this point?
No, never. To predict that any show would be growing after season four or five… No one could know that. The season-eight finale broke the record for the most streamed episode in our whole series history in the States.
The Rookie is especially big in New Zealand. How does it feel having such a huge fan base on the other side of the world?
I’ve never been there, but I hear the show is massive and it’s incredible the reach we’re having. New Zealand and Australia are honestly bucket-list places for me. I would love to get there. When I’m out internationally, I see support from all ages and all types of people. That’s what I love about it – the viewership is so broad.
Would you ever sign up to star in something filmed Down Under?
I’m always down to star in anything! I would love to be on a Kiwi or Australian show. I know there was an NCIS: Sydney that did really well. They brought it over and aired it on the US network. Let’s get Bradford on there – that would be an epic crossover!
What’s your message for Kiwi fans who haven’t already binged season eight?
Don’t get too comfortable.
And if you had to pitch the show to someone who has never seen it?
Come with us on an adventure that’s going to make you laugh, cry, stress out and have your heart racing the entire 45 minutes it’s on!
The Rookie is now streaming on TVNZ+.
