The Rookie Filmed An Alternate Season 8 Ending In Case Of Cancellation — Weigh In On #Chenford's Fate!

"The Rookie" Season 8 ended with a shocking cliffhanger leaving #Chenford's fate up in the air, but in another world, things could've been very different for these two lovebirds. 

"We didn't know when we wrapped last season if we would ever come back," Eric Winter, who plays Tim Bradford on the ABC drama, told People at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. 

The series wasn't renewed for Season 9 until April, 15 weeks into the show's Season 8 run. Because the future of "The Rookie" was still up in the air during filming, Winter said they prepared for a possible cancelation.  

"We even shot an alternate ending to the show," he revealed. 

Winter didn't divulge any details about the other ending, but he did confirm that the things "would've been different" than what viewers saw when Season 8 wrapped in May. Since we don't have definitive answers to what could have been, and because we have to wait until "The Rookie" returns in 2027 to see what ultimately happens to #Chenford, why not fantasize about that alternate ending?

But before we start speculating, let's recap what actually happened in the Season 8 finale.

Tim (Eric Winter) finally popped the question to Lucy (Melissa O'Neil)! But the journey to a proposal wasn't easy: First, Tim inherited a hideous family ring and had to delicately break the news to his mother that her future daughter-in-law would not be taking the heirloom. Then, the man lost the latest bauble after slipping the loose ring — no box in sight! — into his uniform pocket during a work shift. 

In the end, the ring was found, and Tim got down on one knee on a remote area of what appeared to be a picturesque beach. to ask Lucy to be his wife. All was well until their moment of bliss was cut short by catastrophe: Two goons disguised as regular beachgoers tranquilized the happy couple and kidnapped them on behalf of Heath Everett — the notorious criminal with a grudge against Tim. 

Though "The Rookie" recently released an extended version of a beloved Season 8 episode on Hulu, the chances of fans getting a glimpse at the Season 8 finale's alternate ending are slim. In case the footage never comes to light, we want to hypothesize on all the possible directions showrunner Alexi Hawley could've taken us in the event of a "Rookie" cancellation.

Perhaps Lucy and Tim got engaged and walked off into the sunset along a peaceful and remote beach, one that was completely free of henchpeople, and embarked on their happily ever after together. Or, maybe they were approached by Heath Everett's goons, and they fought them off, and celebrated their engagement with the rest of the team while escorting the latest Big Bad to prison. Or, is it possible Tim was hurt — or murdered! — in the kidnapping kerfuffle after he was unable to regain his footing after getting down on one knee, leaving Lucy to avenge his death for the rest of her days?!

Since it's anybody's best guess, we want to hear from you, TVLine readers: What do you think happened in the alternate ending of "The Rookie" Season 8? And what would you have wanted to see had the show been canceled? Sound off in the comments!