by Dan J Kroll

Posted Thursday, March 11, 2004 11:00:54 PM

Should Passions recast Miguel upon Metcalfe's exit? Yes. I think Miguel is too valuable to just disappear. 35% No, I think that Miguel can safely be written out for now. 27% No. They need to do whatever it takes to get Jesse back. 24% To be honest, it doesn't matter one way or another to me. 9% I'm not entirely sure what should happen to Miguel. 4% Other 1% Poll Posted: March 12, 2004

Original cast member Jesse Metcalfe (Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald) had opted to leave NBC's Passions upon the expiration of his contract.

"Jesse's decided not to renew his contract," a show spokesperson said in a statement. "He's going to pursue other projects and we wish him the best of luck."

During his nearly five-year run on Passions, Metcalfe has also found time to film special guest appearances on the series Smallville, where he played the character Van McNulty. Metcalfe also had a small part in the tele-movie 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out .

Show execs have not yet decided if the role of Miguel will be recast or simply written out. A decision on the character's future is expected at a later date.

A final airdate for Metcalfe comes on July 26th.