Law & Order: Special Victims Unit may be taking a hiatus from screens, but viewers have an extra special treat to look forward to when the long-running police drama returns next month.
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It's been revealed that the NBC drama is bringing back a former star for some of the remaining episodes of season 23. Demore Barnes, who bowed out of the show last year, is set to make a comeback as fan favorite Deputy Chief Christian Garland.
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Although the network has not yet announced Demore's comeback, showrunner Warren Leight confirmed the exciting news by retweeting a report and adding: "So happy to have Chief Garland return to #SVU. Welcome back, @DemoreBarnes."
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Fans were quick to react to the news, with hundreds taking to Twitter to share their delight. One wrote: "@DemoreBarnes thank Goodness! So incredibly glad & happy to see u back! We have missed you! I hope they make your return permanent! Can't wait! Congrats!"
Another added: "So excited that @DemoreBarnes will be back for an episode of #SVU. He had great chemistry with the cast, especially @Mariska and @PeterScanavino," while a third chimed in: "Awesome news!"
Demore Barnes will be reprising his role as Deputy Chief Christian Garland
Demore first joined the cast of the Mariska Hargitay-led series in a recurring capacity back in 2019 as SVU's new deputy chief taking over from Peter Gallagher's William Dodds. He was promoted to a series regular for the 22nd season before exiting in the season 23 two-hour premiere alongside fellow star Jamie Gray Hyder, who played Officer Kat Tamin.
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When the news of their joint exits was first announced, Jamie revealed in an Instagram statement that the decision to leave was not her own, which prompted a huge uproar from fans.
Demore has remained tight-lipped as to whether he likewise had been fired from the show or whether the decision was his own. In the aftermath, Demore shared a video statement to Instagram in which he expressed his gratitude to SVU bosses for his time on the show. He said: "It is almost every actor's desired rite of passage to appear on just one episode of SVU. And yet here I am. I've not only gone on to do more than one episode, but I know I've done it with style."
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