There's no way that the creator/executive producer of a new series walking away from the show before the season premiere can be a good thing. In fact, it's down right ominous. Therefore, the news that Diane Ruggiero has walked off The Ex List before the October 3rd premiere does not bode well for the comedy-drama. It's not like the prospect of succeeding in the dreaded Friday at 9 P.M. ET on CBS (the place where Moonlight died) was a sign of good things to come, but having seen the pilot, I was keeping my fingers crossed. Now, I'm worried.

Reportedly, Ruggiero unexpectedly quit The Ex List on Friday morning. Rick Eid, executive producer of the show, will continue on in her place as showrunner. However, the writing staff will have to continue without their guiding light because make no mistake, the heart and soul of the main character -- Bella Bloom -- was a reflection of Diane Ruggiero. She's a strong writer with a distinct voice, one she lent to her other success (with Rob Thomas) Veronica Mars.

Just listen to Ms. Ruggiero in this clip from the TCA presentation:
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Like I said, The Ex List looks really promising. The pilot is clever and the characters are compelling. I care about Bella, and even though Ruggiero is out of the loop now, she did produce the first seven shows, which presumably will air on CBS. If the program catches on and completes its order of 13 episodes, I'm wondering how those from seven will compare to the other six?

I suspect in the weeks to come we'll find out why Diane really exited The Ex-List, so I won't make any guesses here. I just hope that someone as talented as she is finds another show very soon and gets back to writing. Maybe she could work on that possible/potential Veronica Mars movie?