Big changes are happening on the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and apparently most of those changes are happening to Greg's face.
According to co-creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna at the Television Critics Association press tour, Skylar Astin will join season 4 of the musical comedy, reprising the role of Greg which Santino Fontana left at the beginning of season 2.
Bartender Greg was the on-again, off-again beau of Rebecca (Bloom) during the show's first season. After revealing to Rebecca that he was in recovery for alcoholism (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has long been praised for sparking conversations about mental health), Greg left West Covina for business school back east. He has not been seen since, but his father (Robin Thomas) has: During a mental health crisis of her own, Rebecca hooked up with Greg's much-older father, seemingly solidifying her "off" status with Greg.
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Alas, things are different now. According to McKenna, while the show had to prematurely complete Greg's arc in order to justify the character's exit (Fontana told Vulture he had a one-year contract that was "best for his family life") the show now wishes to check back in with the ole' Gregster. According to McKenna, it actually works in the CW show's favour that Fontana is not returning to reprise the role. She told reporters at the TCA:
"It's a plot point in the story that the character is reimagined, so it’s going to be played by a different actor, which is Skylar."
McKenna confirmed that the series did let Fontana know his role would be recast, as they have great "respect" for the actor.
Bloom added:
"It’s not only a big leap and feels experimental and playful like our show, but as we’ll see when the show airs, it’s a great statement on how our perception of people changes, and Greg is sort of a barometer for how Rebecca changes."
Oddly, this is not the only CW series that is changing up its casting. According to TVLine, Nathalie Kelley will not return to portray Cristal in season 2 of soap reboot Dynasty, and will instead be replaced by actress Ana-Brenda Contreras — a.k.a., "the real Cristal."
As far as the recasting on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend goes, Bloom revealed at the TCA that the show will "call it out. It’s not a Becky on Roseanne situation where suddenly it’s a different person."
So: Will Greg have used his shiny new business degree to score him a job with benefits that include extensive plastic surgery? Or will Rebecca just "see" Greg in an entirely new light, and therefore as a brand-new person? Guess we'll have to wait until season 4 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend reintroduces audiences to this classic character.