The Cleaning Lady Season 3's Adan Canto Tribute & How The Show Changed Explained

On January 8, Adan Canto, who starred on "The Cleaning Lady," died at the age of 42. This heartbreaking event reverberated throughout the entertainment industry, including future episodes of the hit Fox series. When the show's Season 3 premiered on March 5, the episode paid tribute to the late actor with a title card at the end stating, "This Season is Dedicated to Our Beloved Friend Adan Canto."

The episode is even titled "Arman," which is the name of Canto's character, a gangster who hires Thony De La Rosa (Élodie Yung) to work as a cleaner for his crime family's escapades. Naturally, the intention was to keep Canto's Arman around, seeing as he's a major character. However, the Season 3 premiere sees Arman missing, with Thony and Nadia (Eva De Dominici) attempting to locate him. The disappearance seems to have been planned in order to allow Canto time to deal with his health issues. Sadly, appendiceal cancer ultimately claimed his life. 

Season 3 also introduces members of Arman's family, keeping the character's memory close at hand. Executive producer and co-showrunner Miranda Kwok spoke with The Wrap about the challenges of this season. "We weren't sure if we were going to get him back," she said of the late actor. "We decided to keep the family elements so that we could leave space for Adan to return to the show because we were all so hoping that that would be the case ... then, of course, had to pivot again when we learned the truth of what happened to him."

Adan Canto's death devastated many, with even his "Designated Survivor" co-stars reuniting for a touching tribute to the late actor. The Season 3 storyline for "The Cleaning Lady" was initially centered on hopefully getting Canto back at a certain point. When they still believed the actor could return, they introduced several members of his family in a manner that fleshes out Arman's character while opening doors for new possibilities. Miranda Kwok spoke about those dynamics in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, describing them as "A way to honor Arman is exploring his past and the challenges he faced. When his father refused to let him be in crime and he chose that path, there was a split between them."

In the context of the show, Arman's presumably only missing for the time being, but sadly, viewers know Thony and Nadia will never find him. Without giving anything away in terms of future episodes, Kwok explained what will inevitably have to transpire. "The search for Arman will continue for a little bit," she stated. "We want to honor him, so Thony and Nadia will go on this emotional journey searching for him and what happens next is important to those [characters] and to the show."

Fans of "The Cleaning Lady" are surely disappointed that Arman's journey was abruptly cut short. But with the introduction of other family members, his memory can live on, and it sounds like those involved behind the scenes have crafted a story to honor Adan Canto. Too many actors have died in 2024 already, and Canto's passing, in particular, will continue to be felt for the foreseeable future as it continues to impact "The Cleaning Lady."