 Camille Mitchell had auditioned for the role of Byron 's mother in season two 's " Nocturne " ; Greg Beeman had remembered the audition and had the actress come in to read for the role of Sheriff Adams . Mitchell did some research for the role , talking with female law enforcement officers to gain an understanding of how they evaluate situations . Mitchell views her character as a " down @-@ to @-@ earth sheriff " that carries with her a " farmer 's common sense " . The actress believes a character like Nancy Adams lends to the realism the show tries to portray within its comic book environment . Gough describes Sheriff Adams as " a cross between Holly Hunter and the sheriff in Fargo " . 
