On its final season on A&E, "Bates Motel" will introduce a new figure of authority. Brooke Smith, known for playing a lesbian doctor on "Grey's Anatomy," has joined Season 5 as the new sheriff of White Pine Bay.
Following Romero's arrest in Season 4's finale, fans of "Bates Motel" will soon be meeting his replacement in the new installment. According to TV Line's casting report, Smith will take on the role of Sheriff Dana Green, a competent, professional and moralistic woman who possesses a small-town vibe. It is unclear if Smith will make her debut on the Season 5 premiere, but it's likely that she will be appearing in multi-episodes.
Previously, Smith has also appeared on "Law & Order: SVU," "Ray Donovan" and "Nashville." She joins recently announced guest star, Rihanna, on "Bates Motel" Season 5. The pop singer/actress will play Marion Crane, the iconic character from "Psycho" - first portrayed by Janet Leigh in 1960.
The fifth and final season of "Bates Motel" will heavily focus on its original material, "Psycho." Now that Norma Bates is dead, it is expected that the final run of episodes will see Norman fully-embracing his persona as the demented serial killer. In an interview, showrunner Kerry Ehrin allowed that they plan to visit the world of the Alfred Hitchcock's classic film without "redoing" significant elements from it.
"The season has elements of it but it's our own version of it," the showrunner told Variety.
"It's things that would have been off-screen in Psycho and it's complications of things that you did see on screen. But it is a part of the season that we play with."
"Bates Motel" Season 5 is slated to premiere sometime in 2017.
