Smash Scoop: Four Actors Leaving in Season 2

Best Smashnews ever? Dev and Ellis are out!

Raza Jaffrey and Jaime Cepero will not return for the second season of NBC's musical series, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Additionally, Brian d'Arcy and Will Chase have also been axed from Season 2, though all four actors could possibly return for an episode of two to wrap up their story lines.

The news is probably something of a relief to some Smash fans. Both Dev and Ellis quickly became polarizing characters during the freshman season. The insufferable Ellis was a backstabbing, devious assistant-turned-producer who tried to take credit for Bombshell simply because he mentioned to Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle) that they should do a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe. Dev, the eventual fiancé of Karen (Katharine McPhee), never really clicked with audiences, which made it all the worse when he cheated on Karen with her nemesis Ivy (Megan Hilty).

Smash Scoop! Gossip Girl's Josh Safran nearing deal to serve as showrunner

As for the ousters of both of Julia's love interests — her husband Frank (d'Arcy) and former fling Michael Swift (Chase) — it seems to indicate the show will nix delving further into Julia's home life, which was often slow and arduous during the first season. If only they could get rid of Leo (Emory Cohen)!

As previously announced, Smash will return midseason with a new showrunner. Gossip Girl's Josh Safran will take over for creator Theresa Rebeck, who announced in March that she would step down at the end of the first season. Rebeck will retain her executive producer credit.