What To Know
- Sela Ward has been cast as Tim’s mother on The Rookie, debut in the February 23 episode.
- Eric Winter and Melissa O’Neil discuss what her visit means for Chenford.
Well, this is going to be an awkward meet-the-parents situation. The Rookie has unveiled the preview for the Monday, February 23, episode, and it reveals that Tim’s (Eric Winter) mom is coming to visit, and she’s played by Sela Ward!
In “Grant Theft Aircraft,” Tim and Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) will be navigating their relationship with this unexpected visit. And maybe the first thing on the agenda will be just how much Tim has told his mom about his live-in girlfriend? After all, the video, which you can watch above, shows his mom showing up, surprising him … and then asking Lucy, “Who are you? One of Tim’s coworkers?” Uh-oh. “Among other things,” Lucy replies.
Eric Winter previously told TV Insider that Tim and his mom’s dynamic is “so different than what I had always anticipated when I thought it out in my head as me wanting my mom to come on the show, and it makes her very fun. Tim’s in shock, nervous, happy, and I think we’re going to see a nice dynamic that keeps it interesting.”
We’ll see “Tim being able to get a lot of stuff off his chest,” he continued. That will also be beneficial for his and Lucy’s relationship. “It also helps Lucy understand a bit of Tim’s baggage and relationship with his parents and the struggles,” he explained.
O’Neil teased that there’s “a beautiful conversation” between the two women with “a lot of insight there into who her partner is and how all of this has come about and potentially why he is the way that he is. And yet we don’t villainize the mother in the process, which I think is important. Families aren’t perfect. And I think in this way it makes them stronger, but that’s all to be seen.”
She added that just like fans have been eager to meet Tim’s mom, so have those on set. “Sometimes that’s just the way things go, where sometimes there’s a storyline that just gets a little extra sprinkle of special. And it does feel that way with the beautiful actress that they’ve chosen for Bradford’s mom,” said O’Neil.
What are you hoping to see with Tim’s mom? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Rookie, Mondays, 10/9c, ABC