Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols are leaving Riverdale after season 4

It was a sad weekend for Riverdale fans, as both Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols announced they’ll be ending their tenure on the series after season 4.

Riverdale has never been the most realistic teen drama series, but one of its biggest strengths has always been including the town’s adults in the show’s happenings. While many teen dramas skim past the parents, preferring to focus on the young cast and act like adult supervision doesn’t exist, Riverdale has always made a point of showing that, yes, these kids have parents, and yes, they’re actually involved in their kids’ lives.

Unfortunately, it seems the series will be losing two of its parental figures after its current season, as Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols both announced this weekend that they’ll be departing from the show after season 4. Ulrich plays Jughead’s father, F.P. Jones, while Nichols played Veronica’s mother, Hermione Lodge.

This news, on top of the recent cliffhanger suggesting that Jughead might be dead, proves one thing: Riverdale fans are not having the best couple of weeks.

“I’m proud to have been part of such a talented group of people, in front of the camera and behind,” Ulrich told TVLine. “But I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on to explore other creative opportunities.” The actor also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on The CW series.

Nichols also seemed excited for the future, telling 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.”

Given the parental involvement in the series, it’ll also be interesting to see how Riverdale handles these characters’ departures. The show has already been renewed for a fifth season, so unless there’s a serious time jump, it’ll have some explaining to do.

If Jughead’s fate is actually as grim as it looks, at least F.P. will have a good reason for being absent from future episodes. Hermione might be more difficult to write off, especially with everything going on with Veronica’s father. Even if the next season shows the teens moving away from Riverdale and going to college, it’ll be strange to never see Veronica’s mother onscreen. But we trust the series will find some way to make it work.

Are you sad to see Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols say farewell to Riverdale? Tell us why in the comments below.