Will Dax Shepard Leave ‘The Ranch’ for New ABC Series ‘Bless This Mess’?

Dax Shepard’s future on The Ranch may be shorter than we first thought.

The actor was introduced on the beloved Netflix comedy series as Luke Matthews, following the firing of Danny Masterson’s Rooster. However, a prior commitment with a new series might mean a shorter stint on The Ranch than originally expected.

Shepard is booked to star alongside Lake Bell in the new comedy series, Bless This Mess, which received a pickup order on ABC.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the six-episode comedy follows a newlywed couple’s plan to ditch big-city living for a simpler life in Nebraska that doesn’t go as expected. The new series will reportedly premiere midseason in 2019 on ABC.

The series was originally being considered for a pickup by Fox, though they passed over the series, along with other shows Dan the Weatherman starring Thomas Lennon and Mean Jean, featuring Kaitlin Olson and Leah Remini

“Bell and Shepard headline a stellar cast in this hilarious take on a classic fish-out-of-water story that we found irresistible,” new ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said Tuesday in a statement. Bless This Mess marks Burke’s first formal series order since she became president of ABC Entertainment taking over for Channing Dungey.

It is unclear how the Bless This Mess‘ pickup to series will affect his role on The Ranch, though Deadline previously reported that his appearance on Netflix’s comedy depended on the fate of the now-ABC comedy.

Shepard made his debut as Luke during Episode 6 of The Ranch Part 6, where he reveals that his father was Greg Bennett, the brother of Beau (Sam Elliott).

Despite some skepticism from the Bennett family at first, Luke shares an old photo of his father and Beau’s mother, which serves as evidence he is telling the truth.

“That’s Greg standing by that truck he day we bought it,” Beau tells his family. “We drove that thing everywhere. Drove it up to Glacier National Park one time. Since we were so close, we drove on up to the Canadian border just to flip off a mountie.”

After the heartwarming moment, Beau tells him, “Glad you found us, Luke.”

We’ll have to wait and see if the new series will affect the amount of episodes Matthews will appear in during Part 7. However, as a recurring star he is already not expected to appear in every episode.

The first three seasons of The Ranch (which are each divided in two parts) are now available to stream on Netflix. Part 7 will likely premiere in the first half of 2019.