Amazon's Homecoming returned to screens for season 2 with one thing missing - season 1 star Julia Roberts, who has been replaced by Janelle Monáe, and here's why. Based on a podcast of the same name, Homecoming was created by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot) and received an initial 2-season order from Amazon. The first season released back in November 2018, with Roberts in particular praised for her performance.

Homecoming season 1 followed therapist Heidi Bergman (Roberts) helping soldiers transition to civil life by administering a PTSD plan backed by a mysterious group called the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. It turns out that the PTSD plan is actually a drug that helps soldiers forget the traumas of war so that they're willing to go back. When Bergman takes a liking to one patient, she decides to spare him by giving him an extra dose so he is deemed unfit for active duty, along with giving herself a dose to cover her tracks.

Related: Homecoming Season 2 Cast & Character Guide: Everyone Who's New

The podcast may continue Heidi's story, but the team behind Homecoming decided to go a different direction and turn the show into an anthology series. That being said, Roberts only actually signed on for one season, and so she left to make room for Homecoming season 2 star Monáe, with her exit confirmed in January 2019. While Roberts remains onboard as a producer, her departure from the starring role on Homecoming ultimately served the show in the long run.

Janelle Monáe in Homecoming Season 2

The team behind Homecoming decided that an anthology series would best serve the series. Homecoming showrunner Sam Esmail personally felt that Heidi's story was wrapped up completely at the end of the first season, so there was no need to revisit her character in season 2. The show performed well on Amazon, so an anthology format was really the only solution to keep it going. The second season remains connected to the first by bringing back the drug used to make people forget.

The first season of Homecoming was hailed as one of Amazon's best releases, but the choice to explore a brand new set of characters after a well-regarded debut season was a bold and admirable one. Both the first season of the podcast and the television show were critically acclaimed. That validation gave Esmail and team the legs to create something new that still holds true to the original spirit of the story. Faithful by-the-book adaptations come around often, but successful spiritual adaptations don't. Not to mention, with the anthology format the team behind the show has plenty of room to play for a potential Homecoming season 3 - a show revolving around an amnesia-inducing drug could bring about a whole host of story ideas. All of this is possible, thanks to Julia Roberts' departure from Homecoming.

More: What To Expect From Homecoming Season 3