Christina Applegate is calling it quits early as she exits her NBC comedy, "Up All Night."
The sophomore sitcom, which also stars Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, is undergoing another major revamp, moving from a single-camera to multicamera setup. Now its future is even more unclear.
"It's been a great experience working on 'Up All Night,' but the show has taken a different creative direction, and I decided it was best for me to move on to other endeavors," Applegate said in a statement.
[Related: See the latest news on at-risk series, programs past their prime, and outright ratings flops]
"Working with Lorne Michaels has been a dream come true, and I am grateful he brought me into his TV family. I will miss the cast, producers, and crew, and wish them the best always."
The show has experienced quite a bit of tweaking since it premiered. In Season 1, Applegate's and Rudolph's characters worked on a daytime talk show, while Arnett was a stay-at-home dad. This year, they threw out the talk show, turned Applegate into the full-time parent, and introduced her wacky brother.
Ratings remained low, but NBC didn't want to cancel the show and lose a sterling cast. "We are not fools. We know that talented cast of actors; they're not growing on trees," NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke said in January. "They still felt there were stories to tell, and they were very passionately [interested] in telling."
[Related: 'Arrested Development' returns in May... but will look much different on Netflix]
"I think everyone is really excited to hold hands and jump off and do something really creatively invigorating," Salke told TV Guide.
The network announced a format change, and then series creator Emily Spivey departed. Still, the cast seemed to be on board. "I'm very comfortable, ya know, in that arena," Applegate told Jimmy Kimmel last fall.
Her change of heart leaves big question marks for the show. Since Applegate's character was so integral to the show -- as the wife of Arnett and best friend of Rudolph -- it seems likely that they'll try to recast her. Deadline Hollywood is reporting a rumor that NBC is eyeing Lisa Kudrow to take her place.
Watch a clip of Applegate in "Up All Night":
Are you sad to see Applegate go? Will "Up All Night" be able to recover?
