‘Riverdale’ Star Ross Butler Exits Show After Successful Stint On ’13 Reasons Why’

“Riverdale” Season 1 star Ross Butler won’t be returning to the hit The CW series for Season 2.

According to TV Line, the actor, who played the role of Archie’s (KJ Apa) nemesis, Reggie, won’t be back as a result of scheduling issues. While speaking with the publication, executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said that as much as they want Butler to still be on board next season, the actor has several projects coming up.

Read: Jason Blossom's killer to be named in “Riverdale” Season 1, episode 12

“Next season, we want more Reggie on our show – he’s Archie’s rival! – and because Ross is unavailable to come back to ‘Riverdale,’ we’re looking for a new Reggie. Those are big shoes to fill, but we’re confident we can find an actor who is as funny and sexy as Ross. And of course we all wish Ross the best,” he said.

Meanwhile, Butler was recently linked to the successful Netflix original series, “13 Reasons Why,” that was released by the streaming site on March 31. In the 13-episode series, Butler played the role of Zach, one of the people who contributed in Hannah Baker’s (Katherine Langford) decision to commit suicide.

Following the success of “13 Reasons Why,” rumors started swirling that a second season will be a go. Earlier this month, “13 Reasons Why” book author Jay Asher also hinted on a possible second season. He told Entertainment Weekly that the sequel could focus on Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) and the rest of the surviving characters.

In other news, Butler weighed in on the memes circulating about the show during his conversation with E! News. More specifically, there are memes online with Hannah’s cryptic statement, “Welcome to your tape.” “Honestly, we’re so proud of Netflix for making this show for everybody. It’s such a great message that… the meme, I don’t think that’s the focus here. I think the focus is the message we’re trying to say,” he said.