CBS delivered another crushing blow to S.W.A.T. fans a few months ago when the network announced the show had been canceled. However, it didn’t take long — only two months, in fact — for Sony TV to swoop in and save the series. It was announced that Shemar Moore would return and reprise his role as Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson in S.W.A.T. Exiles, a new spin-off series that’s in early development. Moore is currently the only one attached to star in the project, but it was confirmed a few weeks ago that series executives “expect” some fan favorite characters to return in the series. During a recent interview with Variety, Sony Pictures TV President Katherine Pope spoke about how Top Gun: Maverick inspired the show:
"It’s a bit of a take on the culture generation clash of Gen X versus Gen Z. Where Hondo is all about duty, hierarchy and chain of command, the Gen Zers are a little more like, 'I might need to take a mental health day. I want to talk about it. I want to understand it.' It’s kind of our take on Top Gun Maverick. How do you actually learn from each other? How do we build bridges around not just generational divides, but all forms of divide? There’s a lot of division going on in our world. If we just took some time to listen and to try and be part of a team, and what that really means, it would probably be better for all of us. Neal and Pavun loved it, then took it to Shemar, who absolutely loved it. And we were off to the races."
It’s also been announced that Jason Ning, known for his work on Lucifer, will showrun and executive produce the series. Pope was also asked how the team landed on the decision to bring Ning in, and if original showrunner Shawn Ryan was asked to work on the new spin-off:
"Obviously, first we went to [S.W.A.T. creator] Shawn Ryan, but he’s not only busy producing our show The Night Agent, but he’s also now in an exclusive Netflix deal. So he wasn’t able to do it, but is so supportive of Shemar and the team. We talked to Jason, who we have a deal with. He dug in, and came back with a pitch that was so smart and fresh, keeping all the values of S.W.A.T., but making it something new."
While additional casting for S.W.A.T. Exiles has yet to be announced, it sounds like fans can expect some younger team members to star alongside Moore in the new series. Similar to Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, in which he and Iceman (Val Kilmer) are part of the old regime, with new pilots like Rooster (Miles Teller) and Hangman (Glen Powell) leading the charge for a new era of stories. It remains unclear when S.W.A.T. Exiles will be released or when the show plans to begin production, but it sounds like things are moving fast to bring back Moore’s Hondo, who refuses to give up.
Shemar Moore Also Starred in a 2024 Box Office Hit
In addition to reprising his role as Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrrelson in S.W.A.T. Season 8, Shemar Moore also briefly reprised his role as Randall in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The third installment in the Sonic franchise, which also introduced Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, grossed nearly $500 million at the global box office before it began streaming on Paramount+. Moore is also known for his role as Derek Morgan in Criminal Minds, where he’s appeared in 255 episodes of the hit series.
S.W.A.T. Exiles does not yet have an official release date. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the project.
