In The Rookie Seasons 3 and 4, Lucy Chen’s roommate Tamara Colins was a big part of the supporting cast, but in the later seasons she shows up less.
After six seasons and more than 100 episodes, the extended cast of characters on The Rookie has grown far beyond the trio of just-graduated police officers who anchored the series. Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan may be the central protagonist, but the show has always been an ensemble effort. One of the best newer characters in the series is not a rookie or a cop at all, but car-thief-turned-roommate Tamara Colins. Still, with fewer appearances in the past two seasons, some fans might wonder if something happened to her, or if she left the series.
Of all the characters in The Rookie, Melissa O’Neill’s Lucy Chen is the one with the few non-police connections. Technically, Lucy met Tamara Colins while on duty, but their close relationship developed mostly when she was out of uniform. Now Chen’s roommate, the character played by Dylan Conrique first appeared in the series as a troubled teenager living on the street. As she’s settled into her comfortable life with her new big sister, Tamara doesn’t appear as often as she used to. However, just because Tamara happened to start appearing on The Rookie less and less, it doesn’t mean she is in trouble or going anywhere. In truth, her absences after Seasons 3 and 4 may be down to simply budgetary considerations for a show with a very large cast.
Who Is Tamara Colins on The Rookie?
Tamara Colins first appeared in Season 3 of The Rookie as one of many new characters meant to shift focus from the police primarily to the community they serve. A high-school student whose parents died when she was very young, she wound up living on the street with nowhere to go. At the time, Lucy drove an old, run-down car with doors that couldn’t even lock. Tamara boosted the car so that she had somewhere to sleep at night. During a patrol with Bradford (who was still her training officer at the time), Lucy spotted the stolen vehicle with Tamara still inside. The young woman tried to flee, but Lucy was quick to handcuff the juvenile car thief.
While Bradford searched her belongings in the car, Chen had a change of heart. When she learned how Tamara’s life changed after her parents died, Lucy declined to press charges for the theft. She went a step further and tried to help Tamara by taking her to a children’s shelter. Although, Lucy quickly learned those shelters weren’t safe, and Tamara would rather be on the street than stay there. Lucy ended up giving the car to Tamara, which the teenager promptly sold for $4000 to buy some new clothes and her first-ever computer.
