How Will Officer Talia Bishop Exit ‘The Rookie’ Season 2?
When The Rookie returns for its second season in the fall, John Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) training officer won’t be by his side — and we already know how Talia Bishop’s (Afton Williamson) absence will be handled on-screen.
In Season 1, it was revealed that Bishop did not disclose that her foster brother was a felon on her personal history questionnaire for the police academy. As a result, “she was never going to get a fair shake at the LAPD,” showrunner Alexi Hawley tells TVLine. “So ultimately she’s transferring over to a federal agency. There she can start with a clean slate and hopefully rocket to the top of the ladder.”
On August 4, Williamson posted to Instagram, detailing why she quit the series after its first season. “Throughout the filming of the pilot, I experienced Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from Executive Producers,” she wrote.
“During the Season, it continued along with Sexual Harassment from a recurring guest star and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. Head escalated into Sexual Assault at our Wrap party,” she continued. “The Sexual Harassment though reported directly to the Showrunner/EP remained undocumented and was not reported to HR as promised.”
In another Instagram post that week, she named her alleged harassers as Hair Department Head Sally Nicole Ciganovich and actor Demetrius Grosse.
As for what Bishop’s exit will mean for Nolan, this “gives us an opportunity to throw other obstacles in [his] way,” Hawley teases. Fans will have to tune in to see how the series addresses Bishop’s absence and what it means for the other officers in the fall.
The Rookie, Season 2 Premiere, Sunday, September 29, 10/9c, ABC
