Shemar Moore leaving TV drama Criminal Minds

Shemar Moore, one of the original stars of enduring procedural Criminal Minds, is leaving the hit CBS drama.

Moore's popular character Derek Morgan among the show's elite team of FBI profiling specialists bid farewell to the series on Wednesday's episode, when circumstances led him to choose family over career.

Depicted as a former Chicago cop and bomb squad member, a survivor of sexual abuse and a specialist in obsessive behaviour, Morgan has been a popular, jovial and passionate character who has appeared in the long-running show since its debut in 2005.

The role earned Moore an NAACP Award for best actor in a drama series in February 2015.

'Young and the Restlessgave me confidence and told me that I had a right to be here... WhatCriminal Mindsdid was help people see that I could handle drama and keep my shirt on and tell stories.'- Shemar Moore

"I just spent 11 years with a group of people and it's a weird thing to walk away from but I did it on my terms and in the right way," Moore told The Hollywood Reporter.

Earlier, in 2000, the former model-turned-Young and the Restless star won a Daytime Emmy award for his turn as Malcolm Winters.

"Young and the Restless gave me confidence and told me that I had a right to be here [in Hollywood]," Moore said.

"I got popular there but I wanted credibility and to prove that I could act. What Criminal Minds did was help people see that I could handle drama and keep my shirt on and tell stories. Criminal Minds was college and now I'm ready for grad school and the next step."

Moore has also voiced the role of Cyborg for DC's Justice League animated films. He stars in and executive produced the upcoming romantic comedy The Bounce Bank.

Criminal Minds showrunner Erica Messer addressed Moore's departure in a letter to fans, released Wednesday night.

"All of us at Criminal Minds are sad to say 'see you later' to Agent Derek Morgan. Even sadder that our friend Shemar Moore isn't on set anymore. It was definitely a surprise that he wanted 'to leap,' as Shemar said, 'to try new things.' For those reasons, we have nothing but love and respect for him and his choice. But it doesn't mean we can't also be really, really sad," Messer wrote.

"It was important that we honour a character who has grown with us for over a decade, which is why we wrote the 3-episode arc for Morgan. Those final episodes were directed by fellow actors (co-stars Thomas Gibson, Joe Mantegna and Matthew Gray Gubler) with the last one co-written by his 'baby girl,' Kirsten Vangsness.

"On behalf of the cast and crew, thank you for cheering us on every week. We're so privileged to entertain you through stories about these elite heroes."