Rob Lowe leaving 'Brothers & Sisters'

ABC announced yesterday that Rob Lowe will be leaving 'Brothers & Sisters' at the end of this season.

Lowe has worked out an amicable exit strategy with ABC's Steve McPherson, who brought him in when the series stumbled out of the gate. The ratings rebounded at the time, and then Lowe’s character, U.S. Sen. Robert McCallister, became a regular cast member.

Insiders said that, since then, the show has been through at least 4 different show runners, and he felt under-utilized in the family drama storyline. McPherson confirmed Lowe’s exit. "We would like to keep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise. We are in talks now.” Lowe previously exited 'The West Wing' also in the middle of its series run.