'Smash' Says Goodbye to Ellis And Dev

Have you spent all season watching slimy Ellis on NBC's "Smash" while throwing things at the screen? Well tell your TV there's some good news, because the abuse will stop soon.

NBC revealed to Entertainment Weekly that two characters will be exiting stage right when the Broadway musical set drama premieres in season two.

While the network didn't comment on the fact that both characters were reviled by both critics and fans, I think we can all read the writing on the closing curtain.

Neither Karen's philandering fiancée Dev (Raza Jaffrey) or the scheming producer wannabe Ellis (Jaime Cepero) will be present when the curtain rises on season two of NBC's much maligned show. The characters might pop up in an episode or two wrapping up their characters, but they will no longer be part of the ensemble as 'Bombshell' inches closer to Broadway.

This is almost undoubtedly in response to strong fan criticisms against both characters. Fans have rallied against almost both since the show's pilot. Before cheating on fresh-faced ingénue Karen, Dev was mostly seen as a boring distraction from the main storyline about putting on a show. After cheating on Karen, viewers were ready to show Dev the door.

But nothing could equal the hatred felt by viewers for conniving Ellis. Whether it was poisoning smoothies on being literally everywhere at every time to hear every conversation, viewers tired of Ellis about halfway through his first sentence.

Personally, I'm going to miss Ellis, if not Dev. Before you throw something, I gave up on "Smash" being a quality show somewhere around halfway through it's run. Perhaps new showrunner Josh Safran can pull the Broadway soap out of it's tailspin. Judging by this last season of "Gossip Girl" Safran exec produced, I'm guessing not.

As "Smash" got more and more soapy and ridiculous, Ellis became infinitely funnier to me. If there was a personal conversation, Ellis was there to overhear it. If people were having sex behind a closed door, Ellis was there to overhear it. If an actress with a peanut allergy was ruining the show, Ellis was there to attempt to murder her. He went from overbearing social climber to mustache twirling villain at the drop of a hat.

I'll miss you Ellis. Somewhere out there, I like to imagine Ellis is now working at a server in the theater district, poison people he doesn't like.

What do you think? Are you glad Dev and Ellis are out? Do you have high hopes for "Smash" next season? Sound off in the comments!