January brings us the fourth season of HBO's Big Love, but it may be the last to feature cast member Amanda Seyfried on a regular basis according to TV Guide. Seyfried plays the eldest of eight children of a polygamist family in suburban Utah, and will be written off the show in the eighth episode of the season.

The show's creator, Will Scheffer, had this to say, "She's been exploring her movie career for a couple of years now, and we've been giving her a lot of room to do that. I know having a commitment to a show for six months definitely cuts into her ability to pursue that career." Just so there's no confusion, Scheffer continues, "She's moving away". Hit the jump for what effect this may have on the show.

Big Love provides amazing roles for female actors, but this applies mostly to the three powerhouse female leads Jean Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin, which leaves little screen time for the other women of the show. Seyfried is a charismatic young actress and great on the show, but the size of her role does not befit a blooming film career kickstarted by last summer's musical smash Mamma Mia. Indeed, she is busy enough to justify the full time move to the big screen as her upcoming films include Chloe, Letters to Juliet, and Dear John. The latter co-stars Channing Tatum and is based on a novel by the author of The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks, thus ensuring its destiny as your girlfriend's favorite movie of 2010.

While I love Seyfried on the show, her character is admittedly fairly expendable, so I look forward to the dramatic possibilities surrounding her sendoff and hope to see her film career continue to thrive.