Edie Falco on Why CBS’ ‘Tommy’ Brought Her Back to TV

Jim Halterman January 15, 2020, 12:00 pm

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The holiday season is over, but TV has some new gifts you’ll never want to return. Settle in for 12 months of fan-favorite stars (Fran Drescher, Edie Falco), inspiring physical feats (the Olympics), new streaming services, and another must-see season of Outlander.

Edie Falco is back, and now in blue.

The four-time Emmy winner — famous for playing a mobster’s wife on The Sopranos and a drug-addicted RN on Nurse Jackie — takes on the role of Abigail “Tommy” Thomas, a former New York City cop who is appointed the first female chief of police in Los Angeles after a sexual harassment scandal brings down her (male) predecessor.

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Falco talks about why she decided to don the badge, and what it means to her.

What made you say yes to this role?

Edie Falco: [Executive producer] Paul Attanasio [Bull] wrote a pilot that I really responded to. These were conventional and interesting characters that just happened to be working in a police precinct.

(Sonja Flemming/CBS)

Tommy is not only the first female police chief, but she’s also very out about being gay, right?

Yes, her sexuality is a part of who she is, but she’s not standing on a soapbox about it, and it doesn’t have to be her calling card.

How do you describe her relationship with her grown daughter, Kate (Olivia Lucy Phillip)?

Conflicted. Complicated. We only have a few details of what went down in their home life, but Tommy did the best she could. She’s ready to have another go at [being a mom] when we meet her.