Hallmark
Jesse Metcalfe played musician Trace Riley — the sometimes romantic interest for Abby O'Brien (Meghan Ory) — on "Chesapeake Shores" for the majority of the series. Metcalfe's exit around Season 5 devastated fans, who'd fallen in love with his character's journey with Abby. When the news was initially announced in March 2021, Hallmark revealed that Metcalfe's storyline would conclude at the start of Season 5. According to Deadline, he was supposedly about to film his last scenes. However, his reason for exiting wasn't addressed.
In August 2021, Metcalfe spoke with ET and revealed that there were multiple factors that influenced his departure from "Chesapeake Shores." For starters, he felt he had nowhere to go with the character. Then, there was the revolving door of showrunners who came through the show. "Getting to know a new showrunner and create a working relationship with a new person was not necessarily something I wanted to do," he continued.
Metcalfe was also looking for something new. "I just felt like it was time to turn the page and start the next chapter of my career," he continued, adding, "I definitely wanted to pursue my film career with greater focus and also find the next challenge." He also noted wanting to get on a "critically acclaimed cable TV show again" to help assist in growing his career. If you're missing Trace and Abby and all the other romances in "Chesapeake Shores," we've compiled some shows just like the Hallmark series.
What has Jesse Metcalfe done since Chesapeake Shores?
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Jesse Metcalfe has kept incredibly busy since leaving "Chesapeake Shores." After wrapping up Trace's storyline, he starred in "Fortress" with Bruce Willis that same year. The movie centers on a retired CIA agent and his estranged son, who seek refuge in a state-of-the-art bunker after getting attacked by a former enemy. "Fortress: Sniper's Eye" was released in 2022.
In 2023, Metcalfe appeared in one episode of the Lifetime miniseries, "V.C. Andrews' Dawn." That same year, he debuted "On a Wing and a Prayer," which tells the real-life story of Doug White, who has to take the reins of an airplane after the pilot dies. Metcalfe played Kari Sorenson, who "manages to help Doug do the impossible, which is land this very complicated aircraft in bad weather, and save himself and his family" (via Rough Draft Atlanta).
Additionally, Metcalfe has also appeared in several TV movies, including "Absolutely Devoted to You," "Summer Sparks," and "Harmony from the Heart" over the years. His latest projects include the horror film "The Possession at Gladstone Manor" and the comedy film "Mister Fun."
