Colin Egglesfield Ashlee Simpson Leaving “Melrose Place”

That was quick: It looks like Ashlee Simpson-Wentz's and Colin Egglesfield's stays at Melrose Place will be short ones.

The stars will be moving out of TV's sexiest complex — and exiting The CW show — once the show's "Who Killed Sydney?" mystery storyline wraps up early next year, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello confirmed this afternoon.

Their departure comes just a few weeks after original Melrose vixen Heather Locklear began filming scenes for upcoming episodes that will premiere next month. Word is the critically-panned, low-rated redux will begin transitioning to a "lighter, more fun" style, although executive producer Todd Slavkin maintains that the changes were on the table all along.

When was the original Melrose Place ever "light and fun?"

"Once that murder mystery was solved, [Ashlee's character] would go on her way," he said. "That was the original plan going into the development of the show."

Simpson-Wentz and Egglesfield took the news "like professionals," says Slavkin. "Because they knew ahead of time [that leaving was a possibility], it wasn't a complete shock."

Despite weeks of disappointing ratings, on Wednesday, The CW picked the series up for a full season run.

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