"The Night Shift" is losing a cast member. Series regular Ken Leung will no longer return on the medical drama's upcoming fourth season on NBC.
According to Deadline, Leung was given an option in his contract to return. However, the actor has decided to drop his role on "The Night Shift" and pursue other projects instead. Leung played ER surgeon/former Army Ranger Dr. Cristopher "Topher" Zia on the medical drama since the show's freshman run.
Topher was last seen being fired by the hospital's new owner during Season 3's finale of "The Night Shift." No word yet on how the showrunners will write off his character as soon as the new season opens next summer. The final hour also wrapped up with a huge cliffhanger that left most of the characters' fates up in the air.
Leung's exit after the announcement of Season 4 comes as a bit of surprise as "The Night Shift" has been a top performer for NBC on its summer programming slate. It's unclear at this point if he will be open to appear as a guest star next season.
Should the writers leave that door open to Leung, chances are "The Night Shift" fans may see him again in the future. Leung, for his part, has not yet commented about his exit.
"The Night Shift" hails from creators Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah. It stars Eoin Macken, Jill Flint, Brendan Fehr, Robert Bailey Jr., JR Lemon, Tanaya Beatty and Scott Wolf.
"The Night Shift" Season 4 premieres in the summer of 2017 on NBC.
