Well, Smash fans, I’ve got some good news — and some great news: comic-book villain Ellis (Jaime Cepero) and no-good cheater Dev (Raza Jaffrey) will be much less visible in the show’s upcoming second season, EW.com reports.

There’s no word yet as to whether the two fan-hated characters will get a chance to wrap up their respective story lines before departing the series, but based on the events of the finale — Ellis got fired and Dev got dumped — I’d say there aren’t any loose ends left to tie up.

“Karen will always love Dev…or at least this Kat will always love @RazaJaffrey !” Katharine McPhee tweeted at her on-screen ex May 23. ”I will miss you! Can’t wait to see you back in NY!”

Raza responded, “Dev will always love Karen even if had funny way of showing it! Will continue to enjoy watching you soar @katharinemcphee -see you in NY!”

Meanwhile, HollywoodLife.com chatted with Jaime a few weeks ago about what was in store for Ellis — and season two definitely still in the cards then.

“Maybe he’ll get some redemption later on in the future,” Jaime told me. “But you’ll probably still hate him in season two.”

Fans definitely still hate Ellis — and unfortunately, so does new showrunner Josh Safran.

UPDATE: Our sister site TVLine.com has learned that Frank (Brian d’Arcy James) and Michael (Will Chase) will also have dramatically reduced roles in season two, potentially being axed altogether. Needless to say, Julia (Debra Messing) will soon be looking for a few good men.

How do YOU feel about Dev, Ellis, Frank and Michael’s departures? Are you glad to see them go, or would you like them to return in some capacity to stir up trouble? Drop a comment with your thoughts on both exits.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

Am I crazy, or do Julia (Debra Messing) and Frank (Brian d’Arcy James) now have the most stable relationship out of all the couples on Smash? By the time the curtains dropped on the April 30 episode, both Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy’s (Megan Hilty) love lives were in shambles as their boyfriends spent the hour getting handsy with other dames.

During out-of-town tech rehearsals for Bombshell, Rebecca (Uma Thurman) had a mini-meltdown when she learned that her Joe DiMaggio had dropped out of the show; and with so little time before opening night, there was only one thing to do: bring back Michael (Will Chase). In a surprising show of sensibility, Julia threatened to quit Bombshell if Michael re-entered the fold, only to have Frank and Leo encourage her to stick with it! I expected that kind of backwards logic from Leo — I still can’t believe he tried to smoke out of a vaporizer in the middle of Central Park — but I really had respect for Frank. Until that.

Speaking of cheaters, Dev (Raza Jaffrey) had himself a little mouth-on-mouth party with R.J. this week. Clearly wracked with guilt, he then decided to propose to Karen — and I couldn’t help but smile as she turned him down. The whole cheating thing aside, I’ve never really understood Karen and Dev as a couple. He was sweet and supportive in the pilot, but like most things on Smash, their relationship has been on a steep decline ever since. He’s controlling, he’s temperamental, and he doesn’t seem to understand what it means to date an actress.

In all his infinite wisdom, Derek (Jack Davenport) decided it would be a good idea to hook up with Rebecca in her dressing room, which didn’t sit well with Ivy. Not one bit. But her heartache ended up being the viewers’ good fortune, as she treated us to an intense performance of Rose Royce‘s “I’m Going Down.” I can’t say it was a great song for Ivy to sing at a hotel party — it was pretty much the definition of “buzz kill” — but I enjoyed it, for sure.

And that’s when things got cray. Dev slipped into a dive bar to wallow in his own stupidity, when a pretty young blonde caught his eye — a blonde named Ivy Lynn, to be more specific. He bought her a drink, and according to the promo for next week’s episode, they made a little history of their own. I’m surprised Dev didn’t recognize Ivy because I could have sworn he’d had at least seen her before, but hey, I’m not complaining. I’m just glad to see Karen and Dev on the outs.

What did you think of this week’s Smash? Are you glad Michael is coming back? Do you think he and Julia will rekindle their affair? And how do you feel about Ivy and Dev hooking up? Was it genius, or too random? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift