Another shakeup at The Affair. Joshua Jackson may not return as a full-time cast member for season 5 of the Showtime drama. A decision has not been made yet if the actor, who plays Cole Lockhart, will return as a series regular for the final season.
Jackson, 40, was only contracted for a few seasons, an insider tells Us Weekly, but has continued to sign on as he was interested in the story lines. As the season 5 scripts are still being written, “the creative team is in the middle of figuring out where this character and his arc would go now that his primary love interest has passed,” the source tells Us.
Entertainment Tonight was the first to break the news of the shakeup, stating that series creator Sarah Treem has a plan for the Dawson’s Creek alum to return for at least one episode, but he reportedly does not want to return and “left on very distinct terms.”
The news is just the latest surprise heading into season 5. At the end of season 4, Ruth Wilson’s character, Alison Bailey, was killed, and Treem revealed at the time that Wilson asked to exit the drama. “Ruth wanted to leave the show. That was a request, so that was decided basically before we started writing. It wasn’t a discovery of any kind,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in August. “That was very deliberate. And actually, we shot all of her work first. Her whole story line was shot before we shot anything else.”
In an interview that followed, Wilson told CBS This Morning that she was “not allowed to talk about” why she chose to leave. She also urged The New York Times reporter to ask Treem why she wanted out, adding that there was “a much bigger story” to tell. The network stated in a statement at the time that the actress’ was written off the show because “the character’s story had run its course.”
Jackson and Wilson have been series regulars on the show since its beginning in 2014.
The Affair‘s fifth and final season has not yet begun filming.
