Sara Gilbert Lands Recurring Role on Netflix's Atypical

Earlier this month, Sara Gilbert announced that she was leaving The Talk (which she helped create)after nine seasons to balance her family and her career. But the creator of The Conners has already booked a recurring role on Netflix's sweet comedy Atypical, about Sam, a teen boy on the autism spectrum seeking some independence from his overprotective family.

Gilbert, known to TV audiences for decades as the droll Darlene on Roseanne, joins Atypical'sthird season as "Professor Judd, a university Ethics professor who is generally irritable and chronically underwhelmed, yet capable of compassion," according to Deadline.

The series, from creator Robia Rashid, stars Keir Gilchrist as Sam; Jennifer Jason Leigh as his mom, Elsa; Michael Rappaport as his dad, Doug; and Brigette Lundy-Paine as his sister, Casey.

Atypical's second season featured Casey on a journey of discovering her sexual identity as she found herself attracted to a girl at her new school. Lundy-Paine, who identifies as queer, spoke with The Advocate last year about Casey's self-discovery and her own coming-out.

"I come from a very queer family. I think it was just like a teary phone call to my mom when I had my first girlfriend," Lundy-Paine said. "And then after that it was kinda like, Oh, I don't have to really tell anybody else. I just date who I want and not have to put up with it."

Earlier this month, Gilbert, who is married to Linda Perry, said of leaving The Talk:

"This is something that I have been struggling with for a while, and going back and forth, but I've decided that it's time for me to leave the show at the end of this season. I obviously love it here, and like I said, this was extremely difficult. Last season, I did The Conners and was also producing and [hosting] here. I loved it and felt totally empowered, but also, if I'm being honest about it, my life was slightly out of balance. I wasn't able to spend as much time with my three kids as I'd like, or take time for myself."

A release date for Atypical's third season has not been announced.