Transparent to kill off Jeffrey Tambor's character in its musical final episode
Another show is killing off its main character after the lead actor became embroiled in scandal.
Amazon's Transparent will kill off Jeffrey Tambor's Maura Pfefferman in its upcoming final episode, creator Jill Soloway confirmed to The Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
Tambor in 2017 was accused of sexual harassment by three women. He denied the allegations but said in a statement that "given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don't see how I can return to Transparent." He was later officially fired from the show after Amazon conducted an investigation into the claims.
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A normal fifth season of Transparent was originally expected, but it was delayed after Tambor's departure. Nearly two years later, the show will return this fall with a feature-length musical episode, which Amazon said "begins with the passing of Maura" and will "follow the Pfefferman family as they come together in their grief and celebrate her life." It will air in the fall.
Tambor said last year he was "profoundly disappointed in Amazon's handling of these false accusations against me." Although he was fired from Transparent, he was not removed from Netflix's Arrested Development, which debuted its most recent batch of episodes in March.
Transparent's finale is the latest instance of a series killing off a lead character after its star was accused of sexual misconduct. Netflix's House of Cards killed Kevin Spacey's character last fall and centered the final season around Robin Wright's Claire Underwood instead. Likewise, ABC continued Roseanne as the spin-off The Conners, killing off Roseanne Barr's character after firing her over a racist tweet.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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