virginia madsen
Actress Virginia Madsen Reuters/Lucas Jackson

“Designated Survivor” will be shaking up the situation when it returns for its second season. Virginia Madsen, who plays Kimble Hookstraten on the show, will not be returning to the political drama. This was confirmed by ABC after the actress shared the news on her official Twitter account.

Spoiler alert! This article contains 'Designated Survivor' spoilers. Read on if you would like to know what happens next before the next episode airs

On a Twitter, Madsen confirmed her exit. She did not give an apparent reason for such. It is reportedly typical for shows to go through creative overhaul where they mix things up by throwing in new cast members and let go of old ones. This, however, is not the only freshman show this season to make such a move. On CBS, “Kevin Can Wait” dropped Erinn Hayes from its cast, while “Taken” got rid of the vast majority of its cast before the second season would air.

On her Twitter post, Madsen left the door open for a possible return. “You never know. Perhaps I will be resurrected. I hope so!” tweeted the actress. She added that the cast and crew had other stories to tell. There is a lot ahead of them, and she wishes them all the best, but of course, she still wants to come back to “kick some ass.”

This only means that “Designated Survivor” dropping Madsen was not that drastic and was a possibility all this time, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Of course, she is a great performer and her character will surely be missed.

Madsen played the recurring character in the first season. Kimble Hookstraten was a congresswoman considered by viewers as the other designated survivor other than Kiefer Sutherland’s character President Tom Kirkman. However, by the time the season ended, Kimble had to settle for the position of Secretary of Education after her plans of going for the Vice Presidency did not materialise.

Aside from a major cast member, the series is also making a major change as it introduces a new showrunner. Keith Eisner has signed up for running the show after replacing Jeff Melvoin. They are clearly doing everything they can to stabilize everything so that they can draw more numbers in viewership ratings. “Designated Survivor” airs on NBC in the US. It also airs on Netflix US and Australia.