Difficult Mutual Decision: Mike Kelley, 'Revenge' Creator Leaves Show

Mike Kelley, the creator of Revenge will be leaving the show, regardless of whether or not it gets re-commissioned, Deadline.com has reported. There’s speculation over why exactly he’s come to the end of the road on the successful show but Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva has her suspicions: “I hear Kelley… had been lobbying for shorter seasons for the heavily serialized drama,” reports Andreeva. “From the get-go, he had argued with ABC and ABC Studios that Revenge was much better suited for cable-style orders instead of the standard broadcast 22-episode seasons… I hear the pressure to churn out 22 episodes a season while maintaining the quality has taken a toll, sometime causing tension on the set and ultimately leading to Kelley’s decision to move on.”

Kelley has described the decision to move on as a “difficult mutual one” between himself and ABC Studios. He thanked members of the cast and crew for their performances and dedicated approach to working on Revenge, saying “Helming this series has been the ride of a lifetime, and my producing partner, Melissa Loy, and I will look back on our Revenge time with deep gratitude and respect for Emily (VanCamp) and (Madeleine Stowe) and the rest of the incredible cast, our heroic crew, the dedicated and imaginative producing and writing team, and the tireless post production department… I’m excited about finishing post-production on the season two finale, which I hope will stand among the best episodes of the series thus far. Continued success to all.”

It’s been rumored that the show’s writer and executive producer Sunil Nayar will be the most logical choice to step into Kelley’s shoes, although the show’s producers have stressed that no decisions have been made.