Jamie Gray Hyder is moving on from Law & Order: SVU and will next be seen in something a bit more Christmassy, and a lot less crime-y. The actress, who suddenly departed from the NBC drama at the start of Season 23, is trading handcuffs for ballet slippers in the new Hallmark movie, Sugar Plum Twist.
Jamie Gray Hyder portrayed Detective Katriona “Kat” Tamin in the long-running procedural for Seasons 21 and 22 before suddenly leaving when Season 23 premiered. Her exit was abrupt and unexpected, and fans were sad to see her go. However, with her new role in Sugar Plum Twist, she won’t be away from TVviewers for long. Hyder spoke to ET about the upcoming film and how switching to a lighter project was the way to go:
I've just come off of working two years on SVU and dealing with such dark and heavy subject matter that the idea of doing something lighter and more uplifting really appeals to me and my brain. So, I said yes. We talked about things that were important to me, as far as my character goes, using my ethnicity for the character. They were all ears and super accommodating and we found a place that we both liked and decided to work together.
Going from SVU to Hallmark is definitely a change of pace, as it would be for just about anyone, and it looks like it worked out for the better for the actress. With Hyder’s new gig on the network, could she become one of the regulars who appear in multiple Hallmark movies a year? Hyder is hoping, saying:
Hallmark forms really strong relationships with the people that they work with and I hope that my relationship lasts with them as well.
Before we get to talking about Jamie Gray Hyder’s future with Hallmark, let’s get through her first movie, which sounds like it could turn into another Christmas classic on the network. Sugar Plum Twist follows Hyder’s Natalia Haddad, a former professional dancer who, of course, goes back to her hometown for Nutcracker, which she is choreographing. She ends up putting a modern twist on the classic play, which at first doesn’t work out. Can't have a Hallmark holiday without some conflict!
It will definitely be interesting to see Jamie Gray Hyder in this new role, and to see whether or not it could turn into something more with Hallmark. Plenty of stars have found a home on the Christmas network, like Lacey Chabert, Bethany Joy Lenz, Jonathan Bennett, Jodie Sweetin and many more. Hopefully Hyder will be the latest to join the star-studded lineup.
And as far as Law & Order: SVU goes, even though it looks like Hyder is done with the series for now, fans will hopefully see Detective Tamin sometime in the future, in whatever way, shape or form that may be. But in the meantime, Hyder’s Hallmark movie, Sugar Plum Twist, premieres December 2, where it will join a slew of other holiday movies and TV shows.
