Like Downton Abbey don't understand why these actors can just walk. SNL is notorious for long contracts that don't pay all that much. Although I do imagine they pay a more then Netflix. These shows are a bolt of lightning to these actors. Not saying it should be the 1950's again where they are stuck forever but how do you manage to get out after one season?A hundred actresses could have done Pepron's part. She was no draw. Schilling, the lead, was basically a nobody before this.
Feels odd to be sticking up for the production company. Must be something to it. But in the meantime Downton Abbey is ravaged and now the foil in this show is gone. Due to no-name actors not being under contract. It's just odd.
Netflix probably couldn't afford to offer multi-year guaranteed-option contracts to "name" actors like Laura Prepon. If she got a network show offer, she'd have to be able to walk or they never would have landed her in the first place. You say she's not "a draw", but she's an established actor. She was on 2 years of the ABC drama that followed Grey's Anatomy, then she was the lead & title character of an NBC sitcom last season. OitNB helped her career even more, and I imagine she has even better offers now.
Most network dramas sign cast for 4 or 5 years of consecutive 1-year options. I don't know how BBC or SNL do theirs. But I can't imagine
anyone's agent allowing them to sign their best career years away for multiple seasons of a
low-budget (compared to network) internet TV show.