Revenge is losing one of its ringleaders.
Creator Mike Kelley is stepping down as the ABC drama’s showrunner, our sister site Deadline reports.
As part of what he describes as “a difficult mutual decision between myself and ABC studios,” Kelley will hand over the reins next season — likely to current executive producer Sunil Nayar — while possibly staying on as a consultant.
UPDATE: Per our sister site Deadline, Kelley from Day 1 and ever since has lobbied ABC for shorter, 13-episode seasons. The network’s reluctance to adopt that cable-style model led to tensions that reportedly ultimately fueled this parting of ways.
“Helming this series has been the ride of a lifetime,” Kelley tells the site, “and my producing partner, Melissa Loy, and I will look back on our Revenge time with deep gratitude and respect for Emily [VanCamp] and Madeleine [Stowe] and the rest of the incredible cast, our heroic crew, the dedicated and imaginative producing and writing team, and the tireless post-production department.”
He went on to thank “[ABC President] Paul Lee, his marketing team, and the creative executives at ABC and ABC studios for their profound support throughout this journey.”
In the meantime, Kelly is “excited about finishing post-production on the Season 2 finale, which I hope will stand among the best episodes of the series thus far.”
While Revenge has yet to be renewed for Season 3, it is “a sure thing” on TVLine’s Renewal Scorecard.
Revenge fans, are you shocked by the news of Kelly’s exit?
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