What happened to Kareem in The Oval? His billing quietly slipped after season 4

He didn't. Kareem, played by Matthew Law, has never been written out, never been killed, and is still appearing in season 7 as of August 2026. What changed is his position in the credits, not his pulse.

The credit change

Law joined in episode 4, "Rats Can Smell Poison," on November 13, 2019, as the pharmacy owner who turns out to be running drugs. IMDb credits him on 106 episodes between 2019 and 2025 — one of the largest episode counts in the entire cast.

He was carried as main cast through the season 6 finale, "Counterblow," on December 23, 2025. From season 7 onward, TVmaze lists him as guest cast. Season 7 is also the season that moved the show off BET proper and onto Paramount+ with BET, premiering May 20, 2026.

Despite the demotion, he has appeared in a dozen season 7 episodes so far, running through "Chicken and Rice" on August 26, 2026. Neither Law nor Tyler Perry Studios has issued a statement about the change, because by the usual standards of TV exits there isn't one to make.

What Law has been doing instead

Six days before The Oval's season 7 premiere, Netflix dropped all eight episodes of Nemesis, a Los Angeles heist thriller from Power creator Courtney A. Kemp and co-creator Tani Marole. Law leads it as Isaiah Stiles, an LAPD Robbery-Homicide lieutenant chasing Y'lan Noel's master thief Coltrane Wilder.

"This is a man who is literally on the edge," Law told Essence in 2026 about the role.

His other current credits:

• Abbott Elementary — O'Shon, the school IT specialist romantically entangled with Principal Ava Coleman.
• Tyler Perry's The Paynes (2018) — Kendrick, 27 episodes, his first big Perry credit.
• A Fall from Grace (2020) — Jordan Bryant in Perry's Netflix thriller.
• This Is Me... Now: A Love Story (2024) — The Cynic in the Jennifer Lopez film.

Compare that with Barry

If you want to see what an actual exit looks like on this show, look at Vaughn W. Hebron's Barry Hallsen. Barry was effectively written out in season 4 while searching for his kidnapped daughter, and his death was confirmed on screen in the season 5 episode "Breaking News." Hebron then posted an Instagram tribute thanking Perry for launching his career.

Kareem got none of that treatment, which is the tell. Characters who are finished get a body and a farewell post. Characters whose actors booked a Netflix lead get fewer scenes.

Is he coming back full-time?

Unclear. The Oval has now run 137 episodes across seven seasons, and Perry's shows have a long history of pulling supporting players back into heavy rotation without warning. Law's availability is the variable, and Nemesis has not yet been renewed.

For the record: Kareem's original job was owning a pharmacy in Washington, D.C., with his father. He has outlasted almost everyone who ever shopped there.