Freeform Series Says Goodbye to Major Cast Member After Shocking Exit

By Nicole Drum

Popular Freeform series Good Trouble said goodbye to a cast member who has been part of the series since the original series, The Fosters, debuted in 2013. Maia Mitchell, who played Callie Foster, appeared in her final episode last Wednesday night. The episode, "Kiss Me and Smile for Me" saw Callie reveal she had landed her dream job with the ACLU, but would have to move to Washington D.C. After saying goodbyes throughout the episode, the episode ended with Callie on an airplane headed to D.C. when her on-and-off boyfriend Jamie (Beau Mirchoff) boarded the flight, revealing he also got a job in D.C. and asked to sit next to her.

While Mitchell's departure from the series may have surprised some fans, it was something that the cast of the series knew for some time. According to Variety, Mitchell and series co-creator Joanna Johnson talked about Mitchell leaving the series at the end of Season 3, with Mitchell wanting to go home to Australia as she hadn't seen her family for two years due to the pandemic. Johnson said that she knew Mitchell had been thinking about moving on and noted how long she'd played the Callie Foster between The Fosters and Good Trouble.

"I had known that Maia had been considering moving on," Johnson said. "She's been doing this role for nine years. She grew up in this role between The Fosters and Good Trouble. She was 19 when she started. I went to her trailer, and I said, 'So, I want to talk about Season 4, and I want to beg you to stay.' She said how much she loves this family and this show, but that she needed to go home."

Johnson said that while the cast and crew did try to talk Mitchell out of her decision, they ultimately supported her and set up the series to do a few episodes at the beginning of Season 4 to give the character a proper send off. Johnson said that Mitchell has also said she is open to return for additional episodes in the future.

"In the finale episode of Season 3, there were so many stories that we're trying to serve, and I wanted to devote an entire episode to her. She was delightful and lovely and said she'll come back from Australia to do them," Johnson said. "She's always going to be part of the family, and I don't think it's the last we'll ever see of Callie. Callie's journey is happening off camera, but we'll catch up with her."

Mitchell shared a goodbye message to fans on Instagram, explaining her reason for leaving the series and expressing her gratitude for the fans, as well as the cast, the crew, and everyone at Freeform.

"10 years ago, I auditioned for a little pilot called The Fosters. I was 19 with no clue of the luck I had stumbled upon," she wrote. "Years later, I was able to continue my journey as Callie when we formed the Good Trouble family. Two shows, 156 episodes and a chosen family for life. Lucky me. While I have been so beyond fortunate to have this career and a job that I love, with not an iota of regret, for quite some time I have suppressed an undeniable gravitational pull to return home to Australia to be closer to my nearest and dearest."

"The past two years have been trying, for everyone. I fully recognize the privilege of being able to work and make our show during a global pandemic, but it also meant being separated from my loved ones when we needed each other the most. Thus came the need to create the space to split my time between both countries."

What do you think about Mitchell's exit from Good Trouble? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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