Two Four characters on NBC’s Smash are expected to leave the show — and we suspect fans are not going to be disappointed.

Philandering fiancé Dev (Raza Jaffrey) and devious assistant Ellis (Jaime Cepero) will not be regulars in the show’s second season, sources say. It’s possible one or both actors could appear in an episode or two to wrap up their storylines, but that’s it. The plan is to have neither character as a recurring presence in the show’s new-and-improved second season.

Dev annoyed fans by cheating on Karen (Katharine McPhee) while Ellis infuriated viewers all season with his overeager meddlesome scheming. Fans and critics have been pretty outspoken that the second season would be better off without either character (Ellis, in particular) and it seems producers and/or NBC listened.

NBC plans to return Smash in midseason, giving time for new showrunner Josh Safran (Gossip Girl) to creatively polish the series. NBC had no comment.

UPDATE: Brian d’Arcy James, who played Julia’s (Debra Messing) husband Frank, and Will Chase, who played Julia’s former lover Michael, are leaving Smash, too. In the finale, Frank saw Julia comforting Michael on stage and assumed the duo were back to their old, ahem, tricks.