In an interview with TV Line, the show's creator, James Duff, says that the choice to have Roger Gossett exit from the show was partly a narrative choice and partly a desire for the actor to leave the program as he more or less fulfilled the character. It's important to note that Roger played Chief Taylor before the Major Crimes show even existed.

He portrayed the character in 2005's The Closer even before Major Crimes was ever on air and his final episode aired in 2016. So 11 years playing the same person on two shows may have gotten a little stale for Taylor, at least that's according to Duff's conversation with TV Line. When asked why one of the program's mainstays was killed off, he gave a candid response.