'Nurse Jackie' Is Returning for a Seventh Season, But Peter Facinelli Isn't

The sixth season of Nurse Jackie doesn't premiere until April 13, but Showtime has already given the show a vote of confidence by renewing it for a seventh season, which now means Edie Falco will have been Jackie Peyton longer than she was Carmella Soprano (a factoid for the six of us to whom that matters). Of course, normally a renewal is the big story in and of itself. But not so much in this case.

Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Fitch Cooper on the Emmy-nominated series, will not be returning for Season 7. The actor has asked to be let out of his contract in order to “pursue new creative challenges”. Facinelli is already set to star in NBC's upcoming thriller Odyssey, which is being compared to the Academy Award-winning 2000 film, Traffic. But given that it's network TV, I wouldn't expect it to be anywhere near as gritty. Still, The Blacklist has been a smashing success for the network, so NBC has at least proven it can go dark and still find success. Doubly so with Hannibal, which critics (and a hardcore audience of devoted followers) absolutely adore. So maybe Facinelli is actually trading up? I suppose we'll see within the year.

Via: AV Club

Credit: Showtime