Blake Painter Didn’t Quit
Captain Blake Painter’s sudden absence from the show has puzzled fans over the years. The show’s producers made it seem like he just up and left when office politics and the workload became too much. But after doing some digging, we found that simply was not the case.
Source: Discovery Channel
While the show made it seem like Painter quit the Maverick suddenly, he actually stayed in charge of the ship until the end of the fishing season. After the fishing season, he went to take care of his father, who had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment. When the captain was asked to return for Season three, he told them no. After some convincing, however, he agreed but felt like the show was too fake for his liking.