Why Skeet Ulrich Really Walked Away From Riverdale

Fans can't get enough of the teen drama Riverdale, particularly thanks to its near-perfect cast. The show is based on the legendary Archie comics and follows the adventures and mysteries of high schoolers Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and, of course, Archie. While the show centers on that overly good-looking squad, it's also the stories of their parents that have become just as addictive.

While the teen cast is made up of somewhat newcomers, except former Disney darling Cole Sprouse, Riverdale's cast of parents is made of several former teen actors themselves. There's '80s teen queen Molly Ringwald, who appears as Archie's mom Mary Andrews, and the late 90210 star Luke Perry, who plays Fred Andrews, Archie's dad. There's also former Twin Peaks actor Mädchen Amick, who plays Alice Cooper, Betty's mom and the on-and-off love interest of F.P. Jones, played by actor Skeet Ulrich.

Fans may recognize Ulrich not only as the handsome killer from the '90s cult classic Scream, but also from the 1996 supernatural film The Craft. Since 2017 however, Ulrich had appeared on Riverdale as Jughead's dad, the former Southside Serpent leader and as the town's sheriff. Yet, that all came to an end when Ulrich announced his departure from the show after its fifth season. And the actor did not hold back with why he made that decision to walk away from what appeared to be a good thing. 

Skeet Ulrich walked away from Riverdale after playing Jughead's dad, F.P. Jones, as a series regular since Season 2 of the show. Ulrich made the announcement that he was leaving the CW hit in February 2020, saying in a statement (via TVLine),"I'm incredibly grateful for the friendships I've made on Riverdale, and I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis. I'm proud to have been part of such a talented group of people, in front of the camera and behind." He elaborated just a tad more on his decision adding, "but I've decided that it's time for me to move on to explore other creative opportunities."

While he could have left it on that vague yet PR-friendly note, Ulrich decided to give his fans a little more detail when he went live on Instagram with his now ex-fiancee, Australian model Megan Blake Irwin. When asked about his departure from Riverdale during their live, Ulrich shocked fans by bluntly stating (via AltPress), "I'm leaving Riverdale because I got bored creatively. How's that? That's the most honest answer."

Ulrich may be over playing F.P., but we're definitely not over him! So what's next for the new rumored beau of Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale? He's set to appear in the Tom Hanks sci-fi drama Bios out this August. Though Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa did say in a statement that Ulrich is "always welcome back in Riverdale," according to TVLine, so there may be hope yet!