What happened to Officer Bishop in The Rookie? Details explored

When The Rookie premiered on ABC in 2018, Officer Talia Bishop was introduced as one of the main characters. The series centers around John Nolan, who joins the Los Angeles Police Department at the age of 45, becoming the oldest rookie on the team.

When he joined the department in the first season of the police procedural drama, he was trained by Officer Bishop, played by Afton Williamson. The officer remained an integral part of the show throughout the first season and became famous for her camaraderie with John.

However, the character’s journey in the show was abruptly cut short as she did not appear in the second season onwards. This left the viewers wondering what happened to Officer Bishop in The Rookie.

In the show, she left the department to become Special Agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The character was written out of the story as actress Afton Williamson decided to leave the show after season 1 alleging she faced racism and sexual harassment on the sets.

What happened to Officer Bishop in The Rookie?

Officer Talia Bishop starts as a Training Officer in the LAPD’s Mid-Wilshire Division in The Rookie. She is assigned to train John Nolan. Bishop has a tough personality, which is attributed to her difficult childhood in the foster care system.

She uses her past experiences to push Nolan to believe in himself and see his age as a strength instead of a weakness. As the first season progresses, the show reveals more about Bishop’s personal struggles and goals.

In one of the episodes, she reconnects with her foster brother, who has a criminal record. Bishop feels ashamed about leaving his name off her police academy application but later admits her mistake and tries to fix it.

Even though Bishop is strict, she also has a softer side. In The Rookie season 1, episode 4, she inspires a young foster child to overcome a challenging situation, just like she did in her childhood. Meanwhile, she also faces relationship troubles as she dates a married man who eventually goes back to his wife.

However, Bishop’s stint with LAPD ends between seasons 1 and 2. In the second season premiere, it comes out that she decided to leave the team to take up a job as a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

The departure takes place off-screen and the character does not make any future appearances in the show.

Why did Afton Williamson leave The Rookie?

Officer Bishop’s character was written off as Afton Williamson decided to leave The Rookie. She announced her departure with an Instagram post and alleged that she faced racism from the hair department and was bullied by the executive producers during the filming of the pilot episode.

She further stated that a guest-starring actor had sexually harassed her during the shoot. She claimed she reported the incident to showrunner Alexi Hawley, but her complaint was never forwarded to the HR department.

Following the accusations, production company Entertainment One (now known as Lionsgate Canada), and ABC investigated the matter. However, the investigation gave a clean chit to the accused individuals. At the time, Entertainment One said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly:

“We have concluded that those identified in Ms. Williamson’s allegations did not conduct themselves in an unlawful manner or demonstrate behavior inappropriate for the workplace.”

Williamson then shared another post on Instagram, expressing her disappointment with the findings of the investigation. The actress said the truth had been covered up with lies and deceit, and wrote:

“It’s Heartbreaking for everyone on that set; Past and Present. And for every Actor out there who Stands in the Face Of Harassment and Discrimination, Assault and Injustice.”

“In order to Be the Change, I want to see, I will Continue to Work so that Casts & Crews alike finally See Words Align With Action. We’ve got to Do Better as an Industry. It’s just Talk until you actually Do Something”

Following her exit from The Rookie, Williamson was seen in the films Otherhood (2019) and Still Here (2020). However, she has not appeared in any other projects ever since and is also not active on social media anymore.

Meanwhile, The Rookie has aired five more seasons since Williamson’s exit. The seventh season of the show premieres on ABC on January 7, 2025.