‘Law & Order: SVU’ Loses 2 Main Cast Members Ahead of Season 23

Law & Order: SVU is down two cast members. Deadline reports that the upcoming 23rd season of the longstanding NBC’s crime series will be without Jamie Gray Hyder, who starred as Officer Kat Tamin and Demore Barnes, who played the role of Deputy Chief Christian Garland. Both are departing the series after just seasons. How their characters will exit the department will be revealed during the two-hour season premiere. Both characters were introduced during Season 21 as recurring cast members and were promoted to regulars in Season 22.

Tamin made history as the first LGBTQ officer on the show — and the second main LGBTQ character since Dr. George Huang, played by B.D. Wong. His character left in Season 12.

The report notes that the season resumes just hours after Season 22’s finale, where Catalina Machado (Zabryna Guevara) was arrested for sex trafficking victims who were single mothers living in shelters. Machado intends to turn on her bosses in exchange for a deal with the feds, naming a powerful politician as a participant in the process. The SVU squad works diligently to get a conviction.

In the first hour of the premiere titles “And the Empire Strikes Back,” Benson’s loyalty to Garland hits a crossroads. Rollins and Carisi work to keep their witnesses in check after the politician is implicated. Ben Rappaport, Terry Serpico and Octavio Pisano will guest star.

In the second episode titled “Never Turn Your Back on Them,” the team search for a missing witness, which leads Fin and Kat into danger. Chief McGrath pressures Garland and Benson to convict a suspect. Rappaport, Serpico, Glenn Fleshler, and Isabelle Poloner will guest star in the episode.

Law & Order: SVU is TV’s longest-running primetime live-action series. It received a three-year renewal in 2020, taking it through Season 24.

The show is produced by Universal Television, along with Wolf Entertainment. Dick Wolf is the creator and executive producer of the show. Warren Leight, Julie Martin, Hargitay, Norberto Barba, Arthur Forney, and Peter Jankowski are all executive producers.