Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols are officially leaving Riverdale after season 4. In the years since it debuted in 2017, The CW’s subversive adaptation of the Archie Universe has remolded Riverdale into a far darker and more twisted place than it’s typically been in the comics. That goes double for its characters, including adults like Jughead’s father F.P. Jones and Veronica’s mother Hermione Lodge. Both have battled their fair share of personal demons on the show, with Ulrich’s F.P. overcoming his alcoholism and violent past to become Riverdale’s sheriff and Nichols’ Hermione struggling to maintain her agency while remaining married to her mobster-turned cutthroat businessman husband Hiram (Mark Consuelos).
Neither F.P. nor Hermione have played a particularly major role in season 4 so far, though that could change given recent developments (namely, Jughead’s “death” and Hiram being - supposedly - diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder). It’s even less clear what part they and the other adults of Riverdale will play in the already-confirmed season 5, while their kids - in theory - are heading off to college. Now, it appears F.P. and Hermione won’t be showing up next season at all.
TV Line is confirming Ulrich and Nichols are exiting Riverdale after season 4 to pursue other creative opportunities. In a statement, Ulrich said he’s “incredibly grateful for the friendships I’ve made on Riverdale, and I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis”, adding he’s proud of the work he’s done alongside “such a talented group of people” on both sides of the camera on the show. Nichols said something similar to say in her own official statement, noting she “had an incredible time bringing Hermione Lodge to life and working with my amazing cast, who became family” and praising the Riverdale fanbase for being “the best fans ever”.
Riverdale showrunner and creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa also issued a statement to TV Line, saying he’s “grateful to Skeet and Marisol for their incredible work on the show these last four years, and we all wish them well on their future endeavors”. It’s impossible to say how their characters will be written off the show ahead of time, given that Riverdale is both infamous and beloved by its fans for throwing bonkers story twists and turns into the mix. That being said, Aguirre-Sacasa mentioned Ulrich and Nichols are “always welcome back in Riverdale”, so the plan presumably isn’t to kill their characters off (then again, it’s Riverdale, so even that could be undone). Either way, fans will be able to see both actors on the big screen later this year, with Ulrich costarring in the sci-fi film Bios this fall and Nichols appearing in Spiral: From the Book of Saw in May.
As for Riverdale, there won’t be too many parents left standing on the show by the time season 5 begins. The fourth season even kicked off with Archie Andrews’ father Fred nobly sacrificing his life to save another’s, following Luke Perry’s shocking real-life death last year. Season 3 also saw Jughead’s mom Gladys (Gina Gershon) re-enter his life only to skip out of town again, and finally brought the Black Hood’s story to an end by killing off Betty’s dad Hal (Lochlyn Munro). In fact, Hiram and Betty’s mom Alice (Mädchen Amick) may be the only parents who’re series regulars in season 5 - and even that may depend, in part, on how the show’s ongoing plot about Betty “killing” Jughead resolves itself.
Riverdale airs Wednesday evenings on The CW.
Source: TV Line
