By the end of the Riverdale episode "Graduation," everything has changed. Truly, everything. Jughead is done with his trademark beanie. Archie has joined the Army. We learn that the gang won't reunite for over seven years. Jughead has an iPhone. Time jump and mystery aside, other major characters are long gone for now, given that Hermione Lodge is now a Real Housewife and FP Jones left town with Jelly Bean, with no real plan to return. And that's not just a set up for more action in Season 5 — Skeet Ulrich really has no plans to return to Riverdale in the near future. (Warning: Spoilers for Riverdale "Graduation" to follow.)

Both Marisol Nichols and Ulrich had plans to leave after Riverdale Season 4 ended. Because production was halted due to COVID-19 filming restrictions in early 2020, Ulrich and Nichols ended up "returning" for Season 5 to finish out their storylines in the first three episodes. But, the "Graduation" was clearly meant to be a Season 4 finale with the resulting time-jump to originally begin at the start of Season 5, so the tease of another season with FP and Hermione was just that — a tease.

In an Instagram Live, per TV Insider, Ulrich said that he was leaving Riverdale because he "got bored creatively." He kind of former Serpent-turned-sheriff served little purpose except for looking extremely handsome and worrying about his son's friends for the past few seasons. His love story with Alice Cooper was... there, but it brought on a very strange Gossip Girl Serena-Dan-Lily-Rufus vibe into the house that, frankly, I'm better without.