Following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct taking place on the set of the Amazon dramedy Transparent, actor Jeffrey Tambor has announced he has left the show on his own volition. Tambor, who maintains the accusations made against him are inaccurate, issued a statement in regards to his departure:
Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life. What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago. I've already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue. Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don't see how I can return to Transparent.
Jeffery Tambor, who gave his statement to Deadline, played the transgender character Maura Pfefferman on Transparent and exited the series after four high-profile seasons in the role. It's a character that Tambor gained nearly universal acclaim for portraying, peaking with two consecutive Primetime Emmys for Best Actor In A Comedy Series. At the time when the allegations first came to light, Tambor's option for Season 5 of the series hadn't been finalized, although producers likely would have made that happen had allegations not surfaced. Now that he's out, the show must figure out a way to move forward without him, and without Maura.
Given the central storyline of Transparent, that sounds like a difficult task to accomplish without recasting the character, and it's being reported the show is up to the challenge. Similarly to what the House of Cards team is reportedly doing with their show, the Transparent staff members had apparently been discussing ways to continue the series even before Jeffrey Tambor publicly announced he was exiting. While it goes without saying that Transparent largely revolves around Tambor's character, it's not as though the story couldn't continue with a larger focus on the variety of family members who get all the non-Maura focus, such as Judith Light's Shelly Pfefferman or Amy Landecker's Sarah. Or even bring Bradley Whitford's Marcy back.
As for what's next for Jeffrey Tambor, it's hard to say how the rest of Hollywood will respond to the allegations, which are still being investigated. Tambor seems adamant in denying that the two claims lodged against him were interpreted in the way they were meant on his part, so for now, it's up to the producers of the projects he's involved in to make the call on his continued involvement. In addition to the long-awaited upcoming season of Arrested Development, Tambor is also a voice in a couple of children's cartoons on Disney, and is also slated to appear in the Disney movie Magic Camp, among other projects.
Seasons 1-4 of Transparent are currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. For more upcoming shows that will air in the remaining weeks of 2017, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide, or, jump ahead and take a look at what's happening in 2018 with CinemaBlend's midseason premiere guide. For a look at some shows that were canceled in 2017, visit our cancellation guide.
