True Blood Star Rutina Wesley To Play a Gay Character in New ABC Pilot Broad Squad

Fans of True Blood rejoice, and fans of Rutina Wesley who played Tara on the bloody show rejoice even more, because she is returning to TV, this time playing a lesbian cop in the pilot for the ABC showm, Broad Squad, according to Indie Wire. Wesley will play Joanne, “a lesbian, described as strong, strict and reserved, who prefers to keep her personal life private, in large part because she’s gay. She’s also a hard worker – a character trait that’s influenced by the fact that she’s black and a woman, and believes that, given her skin color and gender, she will have to work 10 times as hard as her fellow squad members, in order to be recognized and move up the proverbial ladder," reports IndieWire. 

The series is actually a period piece that takes place in 1978, which follows the first four women who graduated from Boston's Police Academy. Charlotte Spencer and Cody Horn (Magic Mike) have already been cast as two of the other police women. There's no word yet on who will play the fourth. 

Since True Blood ended it's run last year Wesley has also landed a "pivotal" role on NBC's Hannibal.