Why Did Cable Leave Bull? Annabelle Attanasio's Character Death Explained

The CBS series Bull offered a unique take on the familiar legal procedural drama. Rather than focusing on the lawyers or judges, the show centers the story on the people who decide the outcome of a trial — the jury. Bull starred NCIS' Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, a psychologist who uses his expertise to sway the jury members. With the Trial Analysis Corporation consulting firm, Bull led a crack team of experts in various fields, including the savvy hacker Cable McCrory, played by Annabelle Attanasio, who abruptly left the show.

Cable was a major character in Bull seasons 1 and 2. Her fearless personality and cynical sense of humor brought a fresh perspective to the team that would be sorely missed both by the cast of characters and the viewers when she was unceremoniously killed off in season 3. However, as unsatisfying as Cable's death was, there is a simple explanation for why Attanasio’s character was killed off the show.

Cable Was Killed Off Bull Because Annabelle Attanasio Wanted To Pursue A Directing Career

The Bull Character Died Offscreen In The Season 3 Premiere

In Bull season 3, episode 1, “The Ground Beneath Their Feet,”the TAC team is rocked by tragedy when a bridge collapses, killing Cable McCrory. This comes at a pivotal time, just after Bull’s return to work following a heart attack scare in the season 2 finale. The death happens off-screen, building tension when Cable’s absence from work comes with the news of her passing. In Episode 4, “Justice for Cable,” it is revealed that a terrorist attack caused the collapse. Bull and the team find closure by shutting down the bank that funded the terrorists responsible.

While Bull provided plenty of drama on the screen, none of it carried over behind the scenes in relation to Cable leaving the show. Annabelle Attanasio simply decided to shift her career focus from acting to directing, and thus didn't return for Bullseason 3. In a statement from CBS in 2018 (via Deadline) Attanasio said:

“I’m excited to share that I have been given the opportunity to direct my first feature film, a story I’ve been shepherding for four years. Sadly, the film conflicts with my role as Cable on “Bull.” CBS and the show’s producers have graciously allowed me to leave the series so I can pursue this extraordinary opportunity.
While I will miss Cable dearly, I am so thrilled about this new chapter in my career, and am forever grateful to the show for supporting me on my creative journey. I loved my time on the show, and feel so lucky to have the support of the show’s producers, CBS, and most of all, my unbelievable castmates.”

Attanasio isn’t the only filmmaker in the family. Her father, Paul Attanasio, earned two Oscar nominations for writing the screenplays Quiz Show and Donnie Brasco. Paul is also the co-creator of Bull, along with Dr. Phil host Phil McGraw.

Annabelle Attanasio's Directing Career Explained

She Helmed The Acclaimed 2019 Movie, Mickey And The Bear

Camila Morrone in the foreground and James Badge Dale in the background of the Mickey and the Bear poster

The same year that Bull season 3 aired, Annabelle Attanasio made her directing debut with the 2019 indie drama, Mickey and the Bear. The film follows high-schooler Mickey Peck (Daisy Jones & the Six's Camila Morrone) as she is responsible for caring for her troubled veteran father, Hank (James Badge Dale). Attanasio also wrote the screenplay for the movie, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. With an impressive 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, the film earned rave reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performance and Attanasio's talent behind the camera.

Mickey and the Bear picked up a few awards on the film festival circuit, including Best Narrative Feature at both the New Hampshire Film Festival and the Independent Film Festival of Boston. The Nantucket Film Festival also awarded Attanasio the Adrienne Shelley Excellence In Filmmaking Award. Unfortunately, the movie didn't get much attention outside those festivals. While there is no current news of Attanasio directing another feature film on the horizon, the success of Mickey and the Bear suggests the former Bull star has a bright filmmaking career ahead of her.

How Cable's Departure Impacted Bull

The Team Moved On With Her Replacement

Annabelle Attanasio didn't negatively affect Bull after her departure, as the show went on to air for four more seasons, not ending until after the sixth season and 125 episodes. The death was sudden and shocking since she was driving across a bridge when it collapsed as she passed over it. What made this so shocking is that the series had never been grim or dark in its first two seasons, so killing her offscreen in a terrorist act was something that threatened to change everything about the series.

Showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron explained the reason for the death:

"I thought it was an opportunity to do something different and a little more lifelike. For example, we let [the realization that she was dead] trickle out slowly through the episode, which is the way it happens with work friends. When a work friend perishes, sometimes we don’t hear about it right away" (via TV Insider).

However, Bullmade sure to pay tribute to the character of Cable. In the fourth episode of the third season, the characters attend Cable's wake and show how hard it is for them (especially Jill Hennessy's Ellen) to move on from. This was when Cable's story concluded, and Bull had sued a man who worked at the bank that supplied money to the terrorists. Not only did Bull find a way to sue him for damages to Cable's mother, but the

The show had threatened the life of a character before, as Jason Bull suffered a heart attack in the first season finale. The death was also shocking since it proved she could never return, even if she chose to after directing her first movie. It was definitive. It also allowed the show to quickly replace her with a new member named Taylor Rentzel (MacKenzie Meehan), Marissa's (Geneva Carr) old colleague from Homeland Security. She replaced Cable and was there through the series' end.