Lori Loughlin as Lieutenant Bishop in On Call (2025)
Long before she became Aunt Becky on Full House, Lori Loughlin’s career was on the rise. She was a regular on the soap opera The Edge of Night (1984). Hollywood was paying attention and cast her in several movies in the 1980s. That was when I first saw her. Like many boys of my generation (Generation X), I developed a huge crush on her. I enjoy watching her roles in Secret Admirer (1985), The New Kids (1985) and Rad (1986). These movies weren’t as wholesome as Full House, but Loughlin always projected a sweet, girl-next-door persona.
Full House (1987–1995) is a popular family-friendly sitcom, and most kids in the eighties tuned in to watch it on Friday nights in the TGIF lineup. Aunt Becky was not supposed to be a recurring role on Full House. Loughlin was initially scheduled to appear in a few episodes, but audiences were enchanted by her, leading her to become a regular on the show. Even after Full House ended, Loughlin continued working, though none of her roles were as high-profile as her Aunty Becky character.
Then in 2013, Hallmark cast her as Jennifer Shannon in the TV movie Garage Sales Mystery. Jennifer Shannon, the protagonist, had a keen eye for finding bargains and antiques at garage sales. Somewhere along the way, she found herself involved in a murder mystery and became an amateur detective. The success of Garage Sales Mystery launched a TV movie franchise, where Jennifer continued to uncover hidden treasures and solve mysteries. Hallmark also cast her as Abigail Stanton in When Calls the Heart (2013–2019) portraying a widow who worked in the coal mines alongside the protagonist (who is also a widow) to provide for her family. In 2016, Netflix took on Fuller House, a sequel series to the beloved Full House, where Loughin reprised her role as Aunt Becky.
Then the good news came to a crushing end. In 2019, Loughlin was one of several wealthy parents who were involved in a college bribery scandal. She and her husband paid $500,000 to a college consultant to get her daughters into the University of Southern California (USC) Felicity Huffman—another wealthy actress caught in the bribery scandal—pleaded guilty right away, but Loughlin maintained her innocence. Even my huge crush on Lori couldn’t blind me to the fact that her first courtroom appearance was very tone deaf. Loughlin looked glamorous as she went to court and signed autographs for fans. The college scandals took a toll and her career suffered. Her Hallmark shows were cancelled, and she was kicked off Fuller House. In 2020, Loughlin eventually plead guilty and spent two months in prison, two years of supervised release, a $150,000 fine, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. It seemed Loughlin’s career was over, and her wholesome TV persona had been severely damaged due to the crime she committed.
But was her career over?
In 2025, the answer is no. Even though Loughlin had been found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with the college admissions scandal, she did prison time and lost lucrative recurring roles. Second, it had been five years since she committed a crime—enough time to forgive and forget what she, and others, had done.
A second chance came to Loughlin on the Amazon TV show On Call,which is a significant departure from her previous roles. On Call is a gritty cop show set in Long Beach, California, and Loughlin plays Lieutenant Bishop. The protagonist, Traci Harmon (played by Troian Bellsario), is cop dealing with the murder of a fellow officer Delgado, one of her former trainees. While the police department is investigating Delgado’s murder, Traci goes rogue in her search to find Delgado’s killer. She’s partnered with rookie officer Alex Diaz and teaches him how to be a cop. As they deal with daily emergencies, she needs to know if Alex is on her side to bring Delgado’s killer to justice. At one point, she says to Diaz, “Either you’re with me 100 percent or you’re not.” Traci remains rough and ready to take on any criminal who crosses her path.
Understanding Traci Harmon’s character will provide context to understanding Loughlin’s character as Lieutenant Bishop. Bishop is Traci’s boss. In order to have authority over Traci and the other cops who report to her, Bishop must be tougher than her subordinates. Loughlin is unrecognizable as Bishop—her hair is in a bun, she not wearing any makeup, and she doesn’t smile. This is a different dramatic realm than what Loughlin has done in the past.
What will surprise those familiar with Loughlin’s sweet, charismatic persona is how well she pulls off the tough-cop role. Whether she is delegating tasks to her team or letting Traci know she has gone too far, she commands the audience’s attention and makes it believable that her character has power and authority. By playing Bishop, Loughlin reveals to be more a versatile actress. IIn fact, even if she had not been involved in the college admission scandals, her role as Bishop would still be a great career move. It showcases her ability to play a completely different character than Aunt Becky.
Of course, as good as Loughlin’s performance and the show is, the burning question is whether this series will be an hit. Season 2 hasn’t been announced yet, but the signs look promising for a second season. At the time of this writing, On Call is ranked #1 on Amazon in the US. On IMDb, On Call ranks #13 for most popular TV shows. Troian Bellasrio is ranked #15 among the most popular celebrities. As long as Loughlin doesn’t get into any other trouble, her career as a TV star is back and here to stay.
