The Cleaning Lady: Former Fox Drama at Centre of Serious Allegations

Introduction: A Television Series Under Scrutiny

The Cleaning Lady, a Fox crime drama that ran from 2022 to 2025, has returned to headlines for troubling reasons. The Fox series made headlines again in January 2026 when executive producer Timothy Busfield was named in an arrest warrant after being accused of child sexual abuse by two minors he worked with on set. The show, which followed the story of an undocumented immigrant working as a cleaner for organised crime, has now become the subject of a very different kind of story—one involving serious criminal allegations.

Background of The Cleaning Lady Series

The Cleaning Lady is an American crime drama television series developed by Miranda Kwok, based on the 2017 Argentine television series La chica que limpia. The series premiered on Fox on January 3, 2022. Based on the 2017 Argentinian TV show La Chica Que Limpia, The Cleaning Lady premiered in 2022 and followed a former surgeon Thony (Élodie Yung) who was in the U.S. on an expired visa. To help secure bone marrow treatment for her son (Sebastien, Valentino LaSalle and Khalen Roman Sanchez), who had a rare and life-threatening medical disorder, Thony made a living as a cleaning service worker — until she witnessed a murder and became a cleaning lady and doctor for the mob.

In June 2025, the series was canceled after four seasons. The show experienced multiple behind-the-scenes changes throughout its run, including showrunner transitions and character deaths that affected its storytelling trajectory.

The Timothy Busfield Allegations

The series has been thrust back into public consciousness due to serious allegations. Actor and director Timothy Busfield turned himself in to law enforcement in Albuquerque on Tuesday after he was accused of inappropriately touching an 8-year-old child actor working on a set, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. The Emmy Award-winning actor faces felony charges of child abuse and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

Busfield was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and an open count of child abuse, stemming from an investigation into his relationship with child actors he directed on Fox’s “The Cleaning Lady.” He directed six episodes of the series from 2022 to 2025 and executive produced 14 episodes. The complaint places the alleged abuse at the Cinelease Studios off of Interstate 25 between 2023 and 2024. Busfield has denied the allegations.

Significance and Impact

The case has raised important questions about child safety on television and film sets. Busfield’s legal team named a number of “The Cleaning Lady” cast and crew — including hairstylist Kristin Karr, cinematographer Alan Caudillo, actress Debra Toner, hairstylist Danielle Vigil — as the Fox series was allegedly where the misconduct took place. The allegations have brought renewed attention to the need for robust child protection measures in the entertainment industry.

For readers, this case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of workplace safety protocols, particularly when vulnerable individuals such as children are involved in professional settings. The outcome of this case may have broader implications for how the entertainment industry implements and enforces safeguarding policies on production sets.