A beloved Sanditon character has already met her fateful end.
Charlotte Spencer, who played Esther on the PBS period drama's first two seasons, will not be returning for its third, according to TVLine.
Season two of Sanditon, which is based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel, which found Esther suffering from laudanum poisoning at the hands of Edward (Jack Fox), ended on a positive note for often-maligned character. Esther, who previously had a miscarriage and was told she wasn't able to have children of her own, was left to raise Clara's (Lily Sacofsky) baby after she left the town of Sanditon.
The writing was on the wall for Esther's exit after she got her happy ending.
"I think where we leave her at the end of season two she's got everything she's ever wanted," Sanditon showrunner Justin Young told Decider, "she's happy, married, and now she has a child that she adores, so I think that's the end of Esther's story as far as I'm concerned."
It's not all bad news for Charlotte, who was recently cast in the BBC/Paramount+ drama The Gold, "inspired by the true story of the UK's iconic Brink's-Mat robbery and the decades-long chain of events that followed," according to Deadline. Charlotte will star alongside Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden and Dominic Cooper.
The actress is not the only major star to have been written off Sanditon, as Theo James—who appeared in season one as Sidney Parker—was revealed to have died of yellow fever in the season two premiere.
For more on other stars who have left TV shows in 2022, keep reading: