Younger creator Darren Star reveals two regular characters have been downgraded in seventh and final season due to 'scheduling and Covid related matters'

Hilary Duff, Sutton Foster and Nico Tortorella are all back for the seventh and final season of Younger.

But a few familiar faces will be taking a step back from the beloved TV Land series in its concluding episodes. 

Creator Darren Star recently revealed that two of the show's regular characters have been downgraded to recurring characters, including Miriam Shor and Charles Michael Davis.

The 59-year-old told TVLine: 'Due to scheduling and Covid related matters, Miriam Shor and Charles Michael Davis were unable to be season seven cast regulars.

'However, they will always be a much loved and integral part of the Younger family and have added so much heart and soul to the series.'

Shor, 49, has been a regular on the show since it premiered in 2015, starring as Diana Trout, Liza's high strung boss at Empirical Press. 

Davis, 36, joined the show as a recurring character with season four, before being upgraded to a regular as Zane Anders, when his playful rivalry with Hilary Duff's Kelsey Peters became romantic. 

The season six finale ended with Diana marrying her plumber boyfriend Enzo (Chris Tardio) as Kelsey and Zane's relationship heated up. 

According to the official logline for season seven: 'In the final season, Liza's personal life is on shaky ground as she tries to stay true to herself. After a setback at work, Kelsey doubts her career decisions and discovers a new creative outlet. Maggie gets cancelled.'  

The first four episodes drop April 15 on Paramount+ (followed by Hulu), before the rest of the season airs weekly on Thursdays, all airing later this year on TV Land.

Foster stars in the series as Liza Miller, a newly single 40-something mom who lies about her identity to get an entry level position at a publishing company, after being overlooked because of her age. 

Duff was spotted last month on her final night of filming, as she shared an onscreen kiss with her new costar Steven Good. 

According to IMDb, the Broadway actor has been cast for an eight-episode arc in the final season as Rob Davis, who appears to be a new love interest for Duff's character.    

She later took to her Instagram Story to muse about her final day of shooting, while clarifying that her family went back to Los Angeles without her.

The Lizzie McGuire star said in the video: 'I'm not home yet, one more day. I had to stay behind. So, everyone went to LA, and I'm still at work. But that's OK, 'cause it's my last day, and I'm really sad about it. It's so weird.'

Duff's Younger character is reportedly getting her own spinoff, after Star told TVLine of the parent series: 'We are unofficially planning [season 7] as a final season.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a network has yet to be determined for the new show, and it's unclear if the pilot will come as a backdoor episode of Younger.