Rob Lowe bails on another show

     Rob Lowe (Austin Powers) has asked to be let go from the show Brothers & Sisters, despite being under contract, and ABC has agreed to write him off later this season.  This is devastating news for fans of the show.  Rob Lowe's character of Robert was introduced midway through season one, quickly fell for Kitty Walker (Calista Flockhart, Ally McBeal), and soon married her.  The two happily hummed along through season two, but in season three, their bond was plagued with trouble and an emotional affair.  This past fall, after Robert's heart attack and Kitty's bout with cancer, both have recovered now, and the couple finally seemed to be in a good place.  Thanks a lot, Rob Lowe, I say sarcastically.  Chances are, either the fighting will come back and quickly culminate in divorce, or preferably Robert will suffer a second heart attack and die.  I say preferably because I don't see fans of the show welcoming him back down the road after abandoning the character at this juncture.

     Lowe has a history of jumping off of shows.  He starred in The West Wing for the first three seasons (and part of season four), but in that show, turnover made sense.  In fact, the show kept most of the presidential staffers for the entire run of the series, despite the fact that their real life counterparts don't last nearly as long.  Lowe, though often thought of as the star of that show, and on a high from a career revival because of the series, was forgiven for leaving, and invited back to reprise his role at the end of the series.  Of course, it was often rumored that he left that show because of money issues, while this time he's citing lack of creative development.  He's had at least as much plot as anyone else in the cast!  He knew it was a large cast when he signed on.  Get over it!

     ABC isn't nearly as angry at Rob Lowe as much of America is about to be.  In fact, he is currently in talks to remain on the network, starring in his own show.  This time, he would be the lead, not one of a large ensemble.  I think I can speak for many when I say that I hope it flops as big as his previous attempts to do the same thing (Dr. Vegas, The Lyon's Den).  Don't get me wrong.  He's a wonderful actor.  He just apparently likes to disappoint.

     Brothers & Sisters, for now including Rob Lowe, runs on ABC on Sunday nights at 10pm.