The NBC hit musical series Smash will return to the network's lineup midseason of next year, but fans won't be seeing four familiar faces in Season 2. Series regulars Jaime Cepero, Raza Jaffrey, Brian d'Arcy James, and recurring actor Will Chase have all been cut from the show.

Jaime Cepero, who played the conniving assistant Ellis, and Raza Jaffrey, who portrayed Dev, the boyfriend of Katharine McPhee's Karen, may possibly be back for one or two episodes next year, just to wrap up their storylines, though that has not been confirmed at this time. Neither character was much liked by fans of the series, and it was only a matter of time before they were excised from the storyline.

Brian d'Arcy James played the husband to Debra Messing's Julia, while Will Chase portrayed Julia's off-and-on lover, neither of whom are returning next year.

We reported last month that Gossip Girl producer Joshua Safran is replacing series creator Theresa Rebeck as the showrunner. It isn't known if the actors' decision to leave had anything to do with the new showrunner taking over.