Bad News For The Midnight Club: Skeet Ulrich & Marisol Nichols Are Leaving 'Riverdale'

Say goodbye to F.P. Jones and Hermione Lodge. Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols will leave Riverdale after Season 4. Per a TVLine exclusive published on Sunday, Feb. 23, Ulrich and Nichols will not return for Season 5 of the hit CW series, which was renewed back in January, to focus on future creative opportunities. Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed Ulrich and Nichols’ departures in a statement to TVLine.

“Part of life in Riverdale — and part of growing up — is saying goodbye to people,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “I’m 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. F.P. and Hermione will never be far from our hearts. And, of course, they’re always welcome back in Riverdale.”

Ulrich played the father of Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) and the city sheriff, while Nichols played the mother of Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) and the mayor of Riverdale in the dark teen drama based on Archie Comics characters. In a statement provided to TVLine, Ulrich said of his departure, “I’m incredibly grateful for the friendships I’ve made on Riverdale, and I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis.”

His statement continued, “I’m proud to have been part of such a talented group of people, in front of the camera and behind. But I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on to explore other creative opportunities.” Ulrich will next star in the sci-fi film BIOS and the Quibi series #FreeRayShawn. Nichols, on the other hand, will next star in the horror film Spiral from the Saw franchise.

“I had an incredible time bringing Hermione Lodge to life and working with my amazing cast, who became family,” Nichols said in a statement to TVLine. “We had so many wonderful times together during the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We really do have the best fans ever. I am looking forward to the next chapter and am excited about the future.”

While little is known about how Ulrich and Nichols will be written out of Season 5, there are, of course, various ways to account for F.P. and Hermione’s absence. Given the series’ affinity for time jumps, it wouldn’t be surprising if Aguirre-Sacasa opted to explore storylines far into the future. Plus, fans have long speculated that Season 5 will, in fact, feature a time jump, since Archie (KJ Apa), Jughead, Betty (Lili Reinhart), and Veronica can’t remain in high school forever.

Aguirre-Sacasa touched on these changes in May 2019. “We're really leaning into the fact that this is the last year this group of friends, this group of people, might be together,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s the underlying theme. It’s a huge step to go from high school to college. You say goodbye to your high school friends. You become more of a young adult.”

Season 4 of Riverdale airs Wednesdays on the CW.