In a casting decision that most people have probably seen coming for a while, Morena Baccarin’s character on the Showtime’s hit series, Homeland, will be downgraded as a series regular in the show’s fourth season.

On the show she plays Jessica Brody, and her character has been seen much less in the third season, and has only been used to show where the story of Dana Brody is headed. Morena Baccarin was also pregnant, which also partly contributed to Jessica Brody’s absence during the second half of the season.

Dana is Nicholas Brody’s daughter, and has been one of the key figures throughout the series, being spotlighted during the current season after she attempted to commit suicide due to the backlash that her father caused.

Due to the fact that Brody was not in much of the first part of season 3, things were shifted to Dana. Alex Gansa, a writer on the show, said of the decision to switch Dana, “Because Brody was not onscreen and not part of the story in those first couple of episodes, we really wanted to tell the aftermath of the bombing in a more personal way,

The kid playing Chris will now simply wave through a window from the backyard / RT @THR Homeland Downgrades Morena Baccarin, Morgan Saylor

— Emily Toffelmire (@klickitatstreet) December 14, 2013

Nooo! Morena Baccarin's leaving Homeland :/

— Liam Dacko (@Liam_Dacko) December 14, 2013

Despite the fact that Dana’s story arc has gotten bigger over the past season, she recently told her father that she never wanted to see him again, and along with Morena Baccarin, Morgan Saylor will not be returning to the show as a regular. While they have both been dropped as regulars from the show, they could return as guest stars in the same way that Diego Klattenhoff did as Nicholas Brody’s former friend, Mike.

The Brody family have all been slowly fading out, as the story continues to focus more on Agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), and the investigations being done at the CIA. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has finally returned to the show in order to get close to a leader in Iran, and prepare for an insider working with the CIA to take his place.

The only reason I'm still watching Homeland is Morena Baccarin.

— Anna Fillion✌️ (@AnnaFont_ie) December 11, 2013

The Emmy-winning series will officially be losing two of its regular cast members. Homeland was also completely snubbed by the Golden Globes in one of the biggest surprises of the award season so far, among other things. For a show that has previously seen nominations for Best Drama, Best Actor, and Best Actress, it was a big deal for Homeland to be totally left out of the awards show, and many fans and critics wonder why.

Homeland wraps up its third season on Sunday, December 15th.

Image via Wikimedia Commons