Kat Tamlin, played by Jamie Gray Hyder will be exiting the show in the premiere episode
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is set to return to screens in a week's time and already viewers are on the edge of their seats with anticipation.
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Despite a slightly underwhelming trailer, fans are keen to find out what's in store for the officers of Manhatten's 16th precinct - including exactly how Officer Kat Tamlin and Deputy Chief Christian Garland will be written out of the series.
And now, it's been teased that Jamie Gray Hyder's character Kat will have quite the heartbreaking exit...
WATCH: and new season trailer is here
According to TV Line, during the action-packed premiere episode, Kat will find herself in "danger" after hunting down a missing witness with Ice-T's Fin. So, could her character potentially be killed off?
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It wouldn't be completely unexpected as has featured several moving deaths over the years, from Mike Dodds' shocking shooting to Ed Tucker's tragic terminal cancer diagnosis. However, we've not seen a squad member die in the line of duty before, so it would be a first for the NBC series.
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Fans were shocked and saddened when it was announced earlier this month that the two stars will be saying goodbye to the squad room after two seasons on the show.
When the news was first broken by , no reason for the exits was given. However, the following day on 3 September, Jamie took to Instagram to reveal that the decision to leave was not her own and "wouldn't have been [her] choice". Sharing a screenshot of the report, she wrote: "Kat's outta the bag… #SVU23 just got a lot less colorful," accompanied by a brief statement.
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Both Jamie and Demore first appeared on in season 21. Together they were promoted to series regulars for season 22. Jamie's character, who identified as bisexual, was the second main LGBTQ character on the show, after Dr George Huang, played by B.D. Wong, who exited the series in season 12.
While we'll have to see what really happens to Kat, viewers can expect to see the premiere episode pick up the action "mere hours after last season's finale" and also reveal the aftermath of Rollins and Carisi's surprise kiss and the content's of Stabler's letter to Olivia.
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