Jamie Gray Hyder and Demore Barnes Soon to Leave 'Law And Order: SVU'

The upcoming season 23 of "Law and Order" will be missing two major characters. Although it's a bit of shocking news, as the stars have been on the series for a long time, this is a natural phenomenon when it comes to long-standing television shows, as there would be frequent shake-ups here and there.

Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T might still be keeping the series afloat as Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola, but many people have come and gone from the show, the most recent being Hyder and Barnes who announced that they would leave after season 23 premieres.

Jamie Gray Hyder played the role of Officer Kat Taemin, who was the newest member of Captain Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) SVU team and the first LGBTQ officer of the show, while Demore Barnes played Deputy Chief Christian Garland.

Both Hyder and Barnes were introduced relatively recently, as they came on board in season 21. They were later promoted to recurring roles and then series regulars in season 22, so it is quite odd that they would be departing so soon.

Although, their shorter stints with the show are far from the shortest in the history of "Law and Order." The reason for the duo's departure hasn't been released to the public as of yet.

Keep scrolling below to find out more details.

Set in New York, "Law and Order" is an American police procedural and legal drama television drama written by Dick Wolf and directed by Wolf entertainment. Airing its entire run on NBC, the franchise premiered on September 13, 1990.

The series usually followed a two-part approach: the first part, an half-hour, was the investigation of crime and apprehension of a suspect. The second part, which was also another half-hour, was the prosecution of the defendant and the ruling of judgement.

Plots usually depended on real cases that made rounds, although the motivation for the crime and perpetrator is usually different.

The success of this series has led to several adaptations of it. It also won and was nominated for numerous awards over the years, including an Emmy award. It also stars several A-list actors including George Dzundza, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, Paul Sorvino

Carolyn McCormick, Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson, and several others.

SVU, which is now one of the longest-running live-action primetime series of all time, is set to return for a 23rd season with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, September 23, 2021.

The first episode of the two-hour premiere is titled "And the Empire Strikes Back,"  and will focus on the loyalty between Benson and Garland as well as Rollins and Carisi as they all try to keep their witnesses around when a powerful congressman is listed as a suspect. Guest stars include Ben Rappaport, Terry Serpico, and Octavio Pisano.

The second episode is titled "Never Turn Your Back on Them." In this episode, Fin and Kat would be put on the center stage though Garland and Benson will be in the mix as well.

Fin and Kat would then attempt to track down a missing witness into dangerous territory, while Chief McGrath applied more pressure on Garland and Benson to make sure they get a conviction that sticks.

Along with all of the above plot details, fans would see Christopher Meloni popping in as Elliot Stabler, having made his long-awaited return to the franchise in Season 22 as part of crossovers with "Law & Order: Organized Crime." There would only be two Law & Order shows on NBC for now, as the network passed on the spinoff "For The Defense."

Hyder is an American model and singer born on April 27, 1985. She performed the voice-over for the role of Lieutenant Nora Salter in "Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare," and Operator Roze in " Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare."

She has also acted in other movies like "Graceland," where she played Lucia and "True Blood," where she played Danielle, a werewolf. She starred as Detective Kat on "Law and Order," but would be exiting the series soon.

Barnes is a  45-year-old Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles in movies such as "The Unit," "Supernatural," and "Law and Order: SVU."

Barnes began his career with an appearance on "Squawk Box," a comedy series. From there, he joined the cast of "Street Cents."

Although no one can say for sure now, it seems like their departures are for narrative reasons as opposed to issues with the actors themselves.

It is, however, very sad to see them go, but at least fans are assured of seeing them one last time rather than them disappearing when the new season starts.

Fans would have to wait and see who fills their roles, but no one can deny the expertise and brilliance with which the duo played their roles.

"Law and Order: SVU" would also weather this storm as they have weathered other storms in the past.