It’s been a week of highs and lows for fans of ABC’s summer drama Mistresses. Yesterday, the network announced that Mistresses would be receiving a third season order. However, with that third season came some budgetary changes, leading actress Alyssa Milano to announce she was leaving the drama.
Outwardly, quitting a drama due to budgetary concerns seems like diva-ish behavior. However, Milano has one, well, more like two, good reasons for leaving the show. The actress took to her blog on Wednesday to explain that the changes on Mistresses meant the show would have to move production to Canada. Since Milano is a mother of two young children, she didn’t really see the move to be a feasible situation for her family. Here’s what she had to say:
“After two wonderful seasons in Los Angeles, the studio has decided to shoot season three of Mistresses in Vancouver, Canada for financial reasons. It’s with a heavy heart that I have decided that I can’t relocate. I have two babies under 4. Being a mother and wife comes first and I just can not uproot my children and separate the family by moving away.”
She goes on to mention that shooting Mistresses was a great experience and that she wishes everyone the absolute best, but clearly she is resolute in her outlook. Luckily, Mistresses doesn’t just hinge on Milano’s character. The series also follows Karen (Yunkin Kim), April (Rochelle Aytes) and Josslyn (Jes Macallan), who actually plays the sister of Milano’s character on the show.
Unfortunately, those three names have less star power than Milano. With the show’s biggest name leaving the series, ABC will have a few things to sort out. First, Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger, with Milano’s character, Savi, about to see Josslyn and her husband have a romantic moment. Since Mistresses was presumably not expecting Milano to leave once the show was picked up for a third season, they are going to have to find a way to wrap up the character's storyline and write her off of the show. Secondly, the network needs to decide whether or not it wants to introduce a new character to the series, someone with a name that packs a little more punch—and someone who is a-okay with shooting in Vancouver.
Milano’s enough of a name that she should be able to pick up work elsewhere, closer to home. Maybe Project Runway: All-Stars will have her back to host, once more. If not, she can always have a fabulous time kicking it with her family at home.
Mistresses is expected to return to ABC during the summer of 2015. We’ll keep you updated on how the show plans to move forward without Milano.