‘Revenge’ Season 3: Ashley Madekwe will not return

Things are going to be very different in the Hamptons when “Revenge” returns for Season 3 in the fall of 2013. And now it seems that there is a new change in store: Ashley Madekwe will leave the show.

As first reported by Deadline, the “Revenge” producers chose not to renew Madekwe’s option for another season. Apparently, the reasoning behind this is based on the show’s upcoming plot. If so, it’s not a huge surprise, since — of all the “Revenge” characters — only Ashley Davenport ended Season 2 with no big stories to come.

Ashley was initially key to the main plots of “Revenge.” As a friend of Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), Ashley introduced the scheming purveyor of vengeance to her targets, the Graysons. The party planner-turned-personal assistant then managed to have a brief affair with Daniel’s friend, Tyler (Ashton Holmes). When Tyler turned out to be a Daniel-obsessed psycho, all Ashley had left were the Grayson men — the social-climbing girl managed to sleep with both Daniel (Josh Bowman) and his father, Conrad (Henry Czerny).

By the end of Season 2, however, Ashley-centered plots were definitely dwindling. She helped run Conrad’s campaign for governor, and then secretly turned against the man toward the end. Since Conrad knew this, there’s no way that employment will continue.

Will Ashley return at all in Season 3? It seems unlikely. Also, other characters could easily explain away her absence, especially if there is (as rumored) a time jump.

This now makes two regular “Revenge” cast members who will not be around for Season 3. With the character of Declan (played by Connor Paolo) dead in the Season 2 finale and Ashley Davenport somehow written off, we have to wonder if some new characters might arrive in this twisted show.