LEAVING: Rosanne Barr, ‘Rosanne’/ ‘The Conners’
After Rosanne Barr released a set of racist tweets towards Valerie Jarett, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, she was promptly fired by ABC. The company quickly tried to gain their footing and continue on the show with a knock-off called ‘The Conners.’ We definitely won’t be seeing Barr anywhere near this show.
LEAVING: Andrew Lincoln, ‘The Walking Dead’
Though he’s been with it since the beginning, this lead actor, Andrew Lincoln will be leaving the hit TV show, ‘The Walking Dead,’ during its ninth season. Even in that season, he is only scheduled to appear in a handful of episodes, having announced during the show’s SDCDD panel: “This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes. I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show. I promise not to cry—I’ve done enough crying on screen.” Let’s just how Grimes stays clear off those zombies.
RETURNING: Jon Bernthal, “The Walking Dead’
Just as one star leaves the show, another arrives. The selfsame Jon Bernthal, whose character, Shane Walsh, died a horrific death at the hands of his best friend in Season 3, will be appearing again in Season 9. He might be one of his friend’s hallucinations, maybe he will be involved in a flashback, or perhaps as a flesh-hungry zombie. We’ll have to wait to find out!
LEAVING: Clayne Crawford, ‘Lethal Weapon
This actress, famed for his role as the erratic Martin Riggs next to Damon Wayan’s Roger Murtaugh, was recently fired. According to the inside scoop, Crawford just couldn’t keep his act together on set. He often abused the show’s crew and cast and so he got the axe. Remember, in the finale of the second season, Riggs was shot—looks like this character will soon be pushing up daisies.
NEW: Seann William Scott, ‘Lethal Weapon’
Now that the toxic Crawford is off-set, they’ve had to bring in some new talent to fill the gap. Luckily for us, that new addition is Seann William Scott, who was praised by Fox’s president of entertainment, Michael Thorn. “Lethal weapon is packed with action, drama, and pure fun, and we can’t wait to see Damon and Seann together on screen,” said Thorn.
NEW: Jennifer Love Hewitt, ‘9-1-1’
Those of us who have been eagerly anticipating the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt got some good news recently. Scheduling to arrive on the scene for Season 2, she’ll be playing Buck’s sister, Maddie, a 911 operator, according to TVLine. One she dumps her abusive boyfriend, Maddie needs to do some soul searching, and she devotes herself to assisting the needy.
LEAVING: Jessica Capshaw, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
We’re all a little sad that Season 15 of this great show won’t be graced with Jessica Capshaw’s performance of Dr. Arizona Robbins. We’re just glad that she’s leaving on good terms—in fact, it seems that Arizona and Callie aren’t merely speaking again, but it’s possible for a happy reunion. #Calzona4eva
LEAVING: Sarah Drew, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Well, looks like #Japril will never be a thing. Not only is Sarah Drew’s Dr. April Kepner leaving in Season 15, but it looks like this is the final nail in the coffin for her love affair with Jackson. Yes, it’s true. April married Matthew at the end of Season 14, and they’re ready to live happily ever after.
NEW: Jenna Dewan, ‘The Resident’
On a positive note, Jenna Dewan is set to debut on The Resident this autumn with a returning role, Julia Lynn. This character is described as “a sharp and sophisticated medical device rep with an ability to connect with just about anybody.” This casting is a no-brainer, as Dewan used to be a dancer.
LEAVING: Pauley Perrette, ‘NCIS’
We’re really having a hard time imagining NCIS without Pauley Perrette, since she’s been around since the shows inception in 2003. However, last year, the actress announced her retirement from the CBS drama at the end of Season 15. She shocked the world when she posted to her social media, “I believe in God and the universe so firmly, and it just suddenly became blindingly apparent that now was the time.” Later, in an interview with TV Guide, Parrette confessed, “After a lot of thought, I decided to announce it myself on Twitter because I didn’t want it to be turned into anything ‘shocking.’ Abby leaving is more than a cheap TV ploy.”
NEW: Jodie Whittaker, ‘Doctor Who’
Though we got a two-minute teaser of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, we’re sure in for a big treat next season. This timey-wimey-ness of our favorite two-hearted alien will certainly be fun to watch, as Whittaker breaks new ground as the show’s first woman Doctor.
NEW: Alyson Hannigan, ‘Pure’
Those of us who’ve been craving some Alyson Hannigan time are sure in luck. This actress, famous from her role in How I Met Your Mother, will take on a recurring role in Season 2 of this dramatic Mennonite crime show, Pure. She will take on the role on Esther Dunkel, a former zealot that assists her man launder dirty money through the local bank.
REDUCED: Lauren Cohan, ‘The Walking Dead’
Now that she’s going to be featured as the lead in ABC’s coming drama Whiskey Cavalier, Lauren Cohan’s certainly got a lot on her plate. Because of this, she’s had to roll back her commitment to the Walking Dead, meaning that we’ll probably on see her character on the first half of Season.
Cohan asked for more money while negotiating her new TWD contract with AMC, and yet, when that stalled out, Cohan sought out greener pastures in Whiskey Cavaliers. She’s not alone, because her co-star Khary Payton from TWD spoke out in March on an Instagram post: “Pay the woman.”
NEW: Meryl Streep, ‘Big Little Lies’
We can’t wait to see this acclaimed actress take on the role of Mary Louise Wright in Season 2. Apparently, this character is the mom of the foul Perry, played by Alexander Skarsgard, and the mother-in-law of the holy woman, Celeste, played by Kidman. Apparently, she’s going to play a woman that is gravely concerned about the well-being of her grandkids after her good-for-nothing son Perry kicks the bucket. Once she shows up in Monterey, Mary starts looks for answers to some tough questions. We can’t wait to see how she stirs up the pot.
LEAVING: Gillian Anderson, ‘American Gods’
After the resignation of its showrunners, American Gods took another one to the chin when Gillian Anderson also decided to leave the show. This actress excellently played New God Media and channeled a bunch of popular icons, including Marilyn Monroe, Lucy Ricard, Judy Garland, and David Bowie.
PROMOTED: Susan Sarandon, ‘Ray Donovan’
After her knock-out performance in seven episodes of Season 5, Susan Sarandon has been given a regular role for Ray Donovan’s six season. This Oscar winning actress will keep up her role of studio head Samantha Winslow, one of Ray’s last clients to be had.
NEW: Penelope Ann Miller, ‘Riverdale’
Penelope Ann Miller means business in her new role as an attorney in Riverdale. She’s ready to lay down the law as Ms. Wright, the DA in charge of the government’s case against Archie. Her character is said to be “savvy and eloquent… with a conviction in mind, she will weave together disparate moments of Archie’s young life to portray him as a dangerous, violent sociopath who is capable of committing a heinous crime.”
RETURNING: Colon Haynes, ‘Arrow’
Are you getting pumped up? We’re all excited that Colton Haynes will continue on as Roy Harper in Arrow’s seventh season. Even more than that, we’re thrilled that he’s going to once again become a series regular.
NEW: Gloria Estefan, ‘One Day at a Time’
Fun Fact: One Day at a Time’s theme music is sung by Gloria Estefan. Now she takes up a role in screen as a Season 3 guest star. She’ll act out Mirtha on this Netflix classic, a role who is both the “baby sister and arch-nemesis” of Lydia, who is played by Rita Moreno.
NEW: Rob Morgan, ‘This Is Us’
If you enjoyed watching this fine specimen in Marvel’s Daredevil, then you’re sure to enjoy his new role in This Is Us. He’ll take on a recurring role in Season 3 of the NBC drama, playing a charming city councilman named Solomon Brown. As a politician, he’s charged with oversight of the place where William lived. Remember, in Season 2, Beth and Randall purchased William’s building after he died. They’re hoping to give back to their beloved community by fixing up the place, and so we suspect that Pearsons will meet up with Solomon at some point in this venture.
NEW: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Colin Powell, ‘Madam Secretary’
It’s hard to imagine anybody more suitable for this show than some real politicians! We can’t wait to watch the Season 5 premiere, rumored to feature Barack Obama’s Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton. We’ll also see some other former Secretaries of State, such as Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright.
These three are set to play themselves in an episode when Elizabeth seeks advice from her predecessors about a certain tricky situation. “We’re delighted to have these three former secretaries of state be part of our season premiere,” gushed executive producer Barbara Hall. “It will a privilege to experience their perspectives and discourse both in and behind the scenes.”
NEW: Zachary Levi, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Are you getting excited to see some Zachary Levi? This funny man is set for his return to the small screen in Amazon’s hit show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In this role in Season 2, he’s set to play a strange Manhattan doctor whose involved with Midge, Abe, and Rose.
LEAVING: Molly Ephraim, ‘Last Man Standing’
Even with Fox’s revival of Last Man Standing, the show nonetheless bids adieu to a pretty important actress. Molly Ephraim won’t take up the robe as the Baxter middle child, Mandy, in Season 7. The role ain’t dead though, and Molly McCook will be the new Mandy.
NEW: Lisa Edelstein, ‘The Good Doctor’
Here comes the House reunion. We can’t wait to see what Lisa Edelstein and House creator David Shore cook up in The Good Doctor. She’ll take on a prominent role as Dr. Blaize, a smart oncologist assigned to Glassman’s case, who, at Glassman’s request, is set to return to St. Bonaventure Hospital after a short hiatus. Watch this powerful lady call the shots and tussle with Glassman, though don’t forget they’re supposed to be friends, not foes.
NEW: Christ Klein, ‘The Flash’
This actor from American Pie is set to join Season 5 of The Flash as a recurring role, the DC super-villian Cicada. This baddie is a “grizzled, blue-collar everyman whose family has been torn apart by metahumans.” The villain thinks that the rise of the metas is a disease, and his life mission has become riding the world of this plague. Cicada is set to be the show’s second non-speedster Big Bad.
REDUCE: Jeremy Jordan, ‘Supergirl’
Winn Scott is ready to take a holiday from current-day Notional City. His moving voyage to the far-off future isn’t a final adieu, though we certainly won’t catch him milling around the DEO all the time anymore. Though we will see Winn in Season 4, Jeremy Jordan is reduced to recurring status. “Lately, my gut has been telling me that I’m once again ready to begin a new chapter in my life,” explained Jordan on a moving Instagram post. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you gotta listen to your gut. So I want to thank everyone behind the scenes at Supergirl for understanding that it was time for me to return home…to spend time with my wife and friends, and focus on crafting the next stage of my career.” Godspeed, Jeremy.
LEAVING: Chris Wood, ‘Supergirl’
Supergirl’s Season 3 finale also said goodbye to Mon-El and Kara’s love affair by sending him back to the future. Jessica Oueller, an executive producer, explained their decision to take out Wood’s character. “They both have destinies in different times as heroes,” said Oueller. “What they did was the sort-of Casablanca decision of putting what’s most important to them—which is saving the world—first. It’s a little bittersweet that one’s destiny is to be a hero in this time and one’s destiny is the run the Legion in another time, but I think they grew a lot from knowing one another. They have respect for one another, and they have a respect for the decision they respectively made.” How can we argue with that?
NEW: Billy Boyd, ‘Outlander’
Famed for his portrayal of Pippin in the widely famous Lord of the Rings series, Billy Boyd is taking on a new stature in Outlander’s fourth season. By word of EW, he’s set to take on the role of Gerald Forbes, “a wealthy lawyer in Cross Creek who is friends with his prominent client, Jocasta Cameron (Maria Doyle Kennedy).”
LEAVING: Nathalie Kelley, ‘Dynasty’
Are you as amazed as we are that Nathalie Kelly won’t be playing Cristal in Season 2? We have no choice but to assume that she’s doomed after those mortal injuries from the Season 1 finale. Well, maybe we haven’t seen the last of Cristal; Ana-Brenda Contreras is joining the crew as “the real Cristal.” We’ll have to wait to see what happens next.
NEW: Samantha Morton, ‘The Walking Dead’
Get ready to welcome Samantha Morton back into your life! This amazing actress is going to show the world what she’s made of in TWD’s 9th season in the role of Alpha, a terrible and infamous captain of The Whisperers. Eat your heart out, Negan.
PROMOTED: Priah Ferguson, ‘Stranger Things’
Taking on a more prominent role in the Netflix hit’s third season, Luca’s syrup-obsessed sister Erica is going to get more screen time soon. Yup, you heard it here: Priah Ferguson has been promoted to recurring guest star, so look out for those cheeky insults getting hurled at Lucas.
LEAVING: Katherine Langford, ’13 Reasons Why’
Well, Hannah Baker is kaput by the end of Season 2, and so we’ll have to wave goodbye to Katherine Langford in the role that gave her star status. “For me, we told Hannah’s story so fully in Season 1,” Landford related during an interview with EW. “In a way, doing that scene in episode 13 [of Season 2], I’ve so often referred to it as it was the hardest scene because it’s the scene where I had to let her go. I think coming back this season was challenging because it was playing her but not really her.” Well said, Katherine, well said.
NEW: Aaron Stanford, ‘Fear the Walking Dead’
After a tumultuous ride for the Season 4 cast of Fear The Walking Dead, they’re ready to bring in some new talent. This star from 12 Monkeys, Aaron Stanford, takes up the torch, which really makes a lot of sense because he totally seems like the type of person who would wander through the desert after a terrifying zombie apocalypse.
NEW: Diona Reasonover, ‘NCIS’
Well, now that we’ve tearfully said our goodbyes will Pauley Perrete, let’s at least try to welcome in Diona Reasonover. She often gurest-starred as forensic expert Kasie Hines and has now been welcomes to the cast with series-regular status for the sixteenth season of this popular show.
PROMOTED: Nicollette Sheridan, ‘Dynasty’
It’s been hard to ignore Nicollete Sheridan’s Alexis Carrington, and it looks like the producers agreed, because she got a promotion to series regular in Season 2. Alexis came on the scene midway through the first season, and this mom-ster has certainly shown what she’s made of. “She is a force to be reckoned with,” Sheridon explained to TVline when she debuted in March. “Dear God, nobody’s safe! She annihilated common boundaries of decency to obtain what she needs. She’s this matriarch of a family that’s cutthroat, crippling, and riddled with dirty politics, It’s great television.”
LEAVING: Monica Raymund, ‘Chicago Fire’
Monica Raymund’s Gabriela Dawson is not scheduled to return for this show’s seventh season. “It has been an honor to play Dawson on Chicago Fire and one of the most meaningful experiences in my life” Raymud tweeted out. “I am so thankful for the journey and especially to all of your for watching, but I have made the decision that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in life.” We can’t blame you Monica, though we’re sorry to see you go.
Promoted: Matt Ryan, ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’
The John Constantine fan club got some great news recently! This demonologist well get a lot more screen time, as Matt Ryan has been promoted to series regular in Season 4. Should we expect Constatine to live on Waverider or to go it alone? “I don’t know if I want to see John Constantine actually having to live on the ship, because he seems a little cooler than that,” executive producer Phil Klemmer quipped. “I like the idea that he’s a bit of a lone wolf, so we’ll have to figure out where exactly he’s going to live. Like, what would his room even look like? I think he’s a bit too cool for school, in a good way.” Stay tuned to find out!
Anne Heche, ‘Chicago P.D.’
Did somebody turn up the heat on Season 6 of Chicago P.D.? We’ll see what Anne Heche cooks up as Superintendent Katherine Brennan, possibly to latest thorn in Voight’s ribs. Katherine is supposed to be a self-serving, intelligent, and blunt person. We don’t know about you, but we certainly wouldn’t want to end up on her bad side.
NEW: Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill, ‘Doctor Who’
One of the greatest mysteries of the upcoming season of Doctor Who is the Thirtheen Doctor’s trio of companions. All we know at this time is that Bradely Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole are set to play Graham, Yasmin, and Ryan. We’ll have to just wait to see what happens next.
NEW: Maggie Lawson, ‘Lethal Weapon’
Maggie Lawson, famous for her role in Psych, brings it home to TV in Lethal Weapon’s third season. She’s been tapped to be Natalie Flynn, the ex of Seann William Scott’s character. Spicy!
NEW: Janes Leeves, ‘The Resident’
Did somebody call a doctor? Jane Leeves, taking on the role of Dr. Kitt Voss, is on call for Season 2 of The Resident as the hospital’s newest star orthopedic surgeon. Leeves is ready to be a series regular, but, as of now, is only contracted for one year. He may be a lovely character, but we should warn against getting too attached: you know how it goes at Chastain Park Memorial.
LEAVING: Connie Britton, ‘9-1-1’
Don’t expect to hear Britton’s voice over the telecom, cause she’s leaving Fox’s 9-1-1. Rumor has it that, although she’s not going to be a Season 2 regular, she could make a brief appearance. This announcement dropped after Britton signed on to take the lead in Bravo’s true-crime series Dirty John. “We love Connie Birrton, [but] it was always envisioned to be a one-year role,” Fox co-chairman Gary Newman explained. “So it wasn’t a surprise [that she left]. If Connie expressed interest and had time in the future, I know [executive producer] Ryan [Murphy] would be thrilled to bring her back to the show.” Fingers crossed.
PROMOTED: Vanessa Morgan, ‘Riverdale’
This ain’t the last we’ve seen of #Choni! Vanessa Morgan has been promoted to series regular for Riverdale’s third season. We can only hope to get a lot more screen time of Cheryl and Toni strutting their stuff in Serpent leather jackets.
NEW: Sarah Chalke, ‘Friends from College’
This scrubs star is set to bring new life to Season 2 of the Netflix dramedy Friends from College. Chalke is staged to play Merril Morgan, a Park Avenue WASP divorcee who hooked up a couple times with Nick way back in College. Merill is mom to teenage Prescott, and she’s a confident, sexy, and slightly pinched Alpha lady. Kind of like Gwyneth Paltrow, just without that West Coast zen feel.
PROMOTED: Kim Raver, ‘Grey’s Anatomy
At long last, we’ll finally set the return of Kim Raver’s Dr. Teddy Altman as a series regular in this hit show’s fifteenth season. Teddy’s recent pregnancy definitely makes this complicated for Amelia and Owen, who seem to have sparks flying for a romantic reunion. We know that we can rely on Grey’s Anatomy to bring the heat when it comes to love triangles!
LEAVING: Chuku Modu, ‘The Good Doctor’
We’ll, it must be time to say auvoir to Chuku Modu’s Dr. Jared Kalu. It seems that Jared is after all going to accept that job in Colorado. He’s been having a tough time anyway, ever since he fought the doctor who sexually assaulted his girlfriend and colleague, Claire.
NEW: Dan Laura, ‘Shameless’
This Pitch and Wonder Years alum is set to recur in Season 9 of Shameless as a humiliated previous congressman, Mo White. We can’t get enough of h is John-Edwards haircut, and Mo White even enlists the assistance of Frank (I know, right!) for his second hack at the campaign trail.
LEAVING: Keiynan Lonsdale, ‘The Flash’ and ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’
Looks like Kid Flash is feeling a bit lethargic these days. Keiynan Lonsdale stunned the world after telling everyone that he’s not going to coming back as a series regular on Legends of Tomorrow or The Flash. “It’s definitely not a total goodbye or ‘see ya never’ situation, cause Wally West will still be round when you need him most!” Lonsdale put out on Instagram. “it’s just that it won’t be full time anymore.”
NEW: Nicole Maines, ‘Supergirl’
Who else is excited to see Nicole Maines break history in Supergirl’s fourth season? That’s right, this actress is set to become the TV’s very first transgender superhero! Contracted to be a series regular, she’s ready to set into her role as Nia Nal (aka Dreamer). “I haven’t really wrapped my head around it,” Maines told the world on TV at Variety’s Comic-Con Studio. “It feels fitting to say with great power, comes great responsibility. I’m nervous because I want to do it right… We can be whoever we want, we can do whatever we want, we can be superheroes, because in many ways we are. We’ve had trans representation in television for a while, but it hasn’t been the right representation.”