A few weeks ago, we found ourselves in the middle of cancellation season as several shows were axed by networks. The severity of the exercise was notable when CBS axed the long-running fan-favorite procedural, S.W.A.T. which had survived two previous cancellations. In the days that followed the announcement, many S.W.A.T. fans held out hope that the network would reverse one more time, but that didn't materialize. However, the franchise will live on, with Sony stepping in and setting in motion an offshoot series, titled S.W.A.T. Exiles. The upcoming spin-off will follow Shemar Moore’s Hondo as he enters a new phase of his life. So, what does the spin-off mean for Moore's colleagues?
While Moore might have lofty ideas of himself as the self-proclaimed “Tom Brady of S.W.A.T.”, he is not the only one who has served and endured through all eight seasons of the procedural drama. Jay Harrington, who played David “Deacon” Kay, has also been around for all eight seasons of the show. While Hondo held 20-Squad’s leadership position, he and Deacon co-led the team, dishing out leadership and wisdom where necessary. Since the announcement of the spin-off, Harrington has not spoken about S.W.A.T. Exiles. However, in a conversation with TV Line, the actor broke his silence on the matter. Harrington revealed he'd "not once" heard anything about a proposed spin-off in the past year and had no sense the news was coming even while filming the season’s final episode.
For Harrington, May 17 was the day he heard news of the proposed spin-off and it came from Shemar Moore, who Harrington says, "Shemar reached out to to all of us to say, “This is what’s going on…,” and, you know, there’s talk that they’ll reach out to us about stuff. He wanted to be the one to tell us." Harrington goes on to express his "disappointment" with how the upcoming offshoot was rolled out, saying:
"Look, I’ll be very clear. I’ve been in this business for a long time. You don’t get “owed” things just because you put in your time. If that’s the route they’re going to go, I wish it success. It’s just a fine line between “owed” and “just let me know,” for the studio just to say, “Hey, this is what we’re thinking…. It’s a new idea, but this is the route we gotta go, and unfortunately the way it’s structured, we want to make a clean break, start fresh.” Well, what do you say to that? “OK, well, good luck!” So if there was any disappointment, it’s that when they announced it, we weren’t mentioned at all. That was it. And it was short-lived because I thought, “I’m not going to let that take away from what I know in my heart is eight years of putting in some great work.”
The Announcement of 'S.W.A.T. Exiles' Has Evoked Some Serious Emotions
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Harrington isn't the only star from the original series to have voiced their feelings regarding the entire situation. Series star David Lim, who appeared in all eight seasons of the high-octane production, also recently expressed disappointment with the decision of Moore's Hondo being the only one included in the spin-off.
“I’d be lying if I said the rollout of the new spinoff didn’t sting. It was tough to see it announced just two days after our finale — with no mention of the cast who helped build S.W.A.T. from day one. After 8 incredible seasons, it felt like we were brushed aside when there could’ve been a moment of reflection and recognition — for the people who built this show, and for the impact it had on so many.”
Sony Pictures TV president, Katherine Pope, recently suggested that there’s a good chance some of Moore’s fellow S.W.A.T. alums will return in the offshoot. Whether that includes Harrington and Lim, only time will tell. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates surrounding the sequel series.
Source: TV Line
