‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’ May Bring Original S.W.A.T. Cast Back After All
The CBS show S.W.A.T. has received more exposure in the last month than it ever did before it was canceled. CBS pulled the plug on the show for the third and final time earlier this year. The series finale aired in May but a spinoff was announced just days later. Shemar Moore, who played Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. throughout the series, was the only star from the CBS show to be involved in the spinoff.
But the details about the new show are still in the works. An executive with the studio behind the spinoff opens up about bringing back the original cast. Keep reading for the latest details on the ongoing S.W.A.T. saga.
Actor Shemar Moore Slammed For Spinoff
Shemar Moore has gained a lot of fans in his decades-long acting career. He got his start on the soap opera The Young and The Restless. He went on to find success in primetime on Criminal Minds and then S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. ran for six seasons before CBS announced unexpectedly in 2023 that they were canceling the cop drama. But with Shemar Moore’s intervention, the show was saved for another season. Season 7 was supposed to be its last, but the network decided at the last minute to bring the show back for another season.
But by then, the writers had already written off two popular characters in what they thought was the final season. Alex Russell (Jim Street) and Kenny Johnson (Dominique Luca) weren’t asked back for Season 8. Instead, the show brought in Annie Ilonzeh as new SWAT officer, Devin Gamble.
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When it was time to announce the shows renewed for 2026, CBS canceled several shows, including FBI: Most Wanted and S.W.A.T. again. The series finale aired on Friday, May 16. On Monday, Shemar Moore revealed that a spinoff was in the works.
S.W.A.T. Exiles follows Hondo as he comes out of retirement to train a new group of SWAT recruits. The very premise of the show confused fans because Hondo didn’t retire at the end of the Season 8 finale.
Fans also noticed that none of the other S.W.A.T. stars were listed in the press release as returning for the spinoff. Shemar Moore received a lot of backlash for agreeing to do the spinoff without the OG cast.
S.W.A.T. Exiles May Bring Original Cast Back After All
The rest of the S.W.A.T. cast was silent for days after the spinoff was announced. David Lim, who played Officer Tan, was the first to speak out. He expressed hurt over the way the spinoff was announced, but said nothing could blemish the memory of the original show.
Jay Harrington, who played Sergeant II David “Deacon” Kay on the show since the first season, was the next to break their silence. The other stars from Season 8 have yet to speak out.
While the initial premise of the spinoff didn’t include any of the OG stars, all hope isn’t lost just yet. A Sony executive said last month that the spinoff will feature some of the old cast.
The chairman at Sony said something similar in a new interview with Deadline.
“There is a S.W.A.T family and that family is important. We would love to have other family members involved in some way, whether it’s all of them all of the time, some of them some of the time, or something in between.”
The chairman added that they are still figuring things out with the spinoff. Another thing they have to figure out is where it will air. While S.W.A.T. Exiles seems like a done deal, it doesn’t have a home. The other executive said CBS wasn’t interested.
Do you want to see the OG cast back on the spinoff? Sound off in the comments.
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yes bring yes bring squad 20 back with Hondo
yes!!i watch swat all the time! bring it back!!! please!!
Love SWAT and everyone in the show, please bring it back. I watched the original SWAT from years ago and loved that one, too.
S.W.A.T. isn’t S.W.A.T. if the whole gang is not there
S.W.A.T. wouldn’t be the same without the OGs and should definitely find a way to bring the whole team.
I never missed an episode. I love this show.
Bring swat back with the with the whole crew. They are a good family team. I watch every episode.