she learned in June that the show's producer, Entertainment One, initiated a third-party investigation of the behavior that Williamson alleged took place during the crime drama's first season that began airing in October 2018.

Burke was asked if ABC is concerned about whether it has inadequate oversight of shows made for the network or if it can trust the investigation.

"I'm hopeful those results will be independent and trustworthy and anticipate they will be," Burke replied. "At that time, those answers and those conclusions will help guide us about how to handle situations like this in the future and if, in fact, there has been any sort of communication breakdown."

There's history, under Burke's predecessor, Channing Dungey, of responding swiftly to a trouble-plagued series. When the network was faced in 2018with a racist tweet by "Roseanne" star Roseanne Barr, the rebooted sitcom's production was suspended. Barr was subsequently fired and the show was reinvented as "The Conners."

It's premature to decide the future of "The Rookie," Burke said. The series, with Nathan Fillion in the title role of a new police officer, is set to return for its second season Sept. 29.

A representative for Williamson didn't respond to messages seeking further details on the actress's claims, or whether the alleged sexual assault was reported to the police.

In an Instagram post, Williamson, who is African American, was highly critical of how her claims, including alleged sexual harassment by a recurring guest star, were handled by showrunner and executive producer Alexi Hawley, who is white. Williamson said she filed reports on