‘Taken’ Season 2 Cast Shake-Up: Who Will Not Return For The Show’s Sophomore Run?

Six series regulars are not coming back for Season 2 of “Taken.”

According to TVLine, Gaius Charles (John), Brooklyn Sudano (Asha), Monique Gabriela Curnen (Vlasik), Michael Irby (Scott), Jose Pablo Cantillo (Dave) and James Landry Hébert (Rem) will not be reprising their roles for the 16-episode sophomore run of the NBC series.

The mass exodus means that Clive Standen (Bryan Mills) and Jennifer Beals (Christina Hart) are the only Season 1 series regulars returning next season.

Shortly after the cast shake-up was made public, Charles, Sudano, Curnen, Cantillo and Hébert all took to Twitter to let everyone know that they’re grateful to have been part of the show.

READ: Why did NBC un-cancel “Timeless”?

The dramatic overhaul of the show’s acting ensemble comes two weeks after “Person of Interest” executive producer Greg Plageman was named as the new showrunner. Insiders told TVLine that Plageman has a new vision in mind for “Taken” Season 2, and that’s probably the reason behind the cast shake-up.

“We’re thrilled to bring Greg on to run the show,” said Matthew Gross, president of EuropaCorp TV USA, in a statement earlier this month. “His enormous talent and vast experience with bold broadcast television is a perfect fit. We look forward to seeing what his vision and direction brings to ‘Taken’ and the Bryan Mills (Clive Standen) character as we move into the show’s second season.”

Plageman took over the showrunner role from Alexander Cary, who vacated the position at the end of the show’s Season 1. According to Deadline, Cary’s exit from the show is amicable. The website also reported that the series will likely adopt more procedural elements in the vein of NBC’s “The Blacklist” and “Blindspot” for its sophomore run.

NBC renewed “Taken” for Season 2 last month. Although the series has not been a ratings standout, the show’s viewership has been consistent. According to Variety, the show’s 10-episode Season 1 averaged a 1.0 rating and 5.1 million viewers on its Monday, 10 p.m. EST timeslot. Despite its modest ratings, the show — which is a co-production between EuropaCorp TV USA and Universal Television — has done great internationally and made some serious money for NBCUniversal. The series is also relatively inexpensive to produce, making the Season 2 renewal unsurprising.

“Taken” Season 2 will premiere mid-season on NBC.