Sony executives tease that many familiar S.W.A.T. characters will appear in S.W.A.T. Exiles. After being canceled and renewed numerous times, S.W.A.T. was canceled after season 8, and this time, the show was not saved. However, the franchise is continuing on CBS with a new spinoff series, S.W.A.T. Exiles. Shemar Moore, who played Hondo in the long-running CBS show, is confirmed to be reprising his role in the spinoff, but it was previously unclear whether other existing characters would be included as well.
While speaking with Variety, Sony executive Katherine Pope confirms that "you can expect some of your favorites to be a part" of S.W.A.T. Exiles. Even though Exiles will be a new show, Pope and fellow executive Keith Le Goy emphasize that it is still part of the same universe that the previous show existed in, which will make it natural for familiar faces to appear. Pope also clarifies that the spinoff is only "a few weeks in." Check out her comments below:
For sure. As Keith was just saying, it’s a universe. There is a clear world that we’re exploring here. We’re a few weeks in. We’re still putting it all together, but for sure, I think you can expect some of your favorites to be a part of it in some way.
What This Means For S.W.A.T. Exiles
More Familiar Characters Can Help Fix A Recent Mistake
The announcement of S.W.A.T. Exiles has elicited a mixed response from the fandom and from the show's original cast. S.W.A.T. actor David Lim recently shared that it did "sting" for the spinoff to be announced two days after the series finale without any mention of the cast members who were part of the show for eight seasons. While Lim and his co-stars can still rightfully take issue with how the franchise's transition was handled, at least there is a good chance that many of their characters will appear in the spinoff.
Including Hondo in the series announcement makes sense, as he is the face of the previous show, and will be the biggest draw. There are still plenty of unanswered questions and mysteries from S.W.A.T, along with other fan-favorite characters who deserve to be further explored. Seeing familiar characters other than Hondo can help make S.W.A.T. Exiles more enticing to watch, and the spinoff will not ignore the strong ties it has to its predecessor.
Our Take On Katherine Pope's Comments
It's Good News, But Raises Another Question
Hondo not being the only familiar S.W.A.T. character in Exiles is good news, although it does make me question CBS' decision to cancel the main show and pursue the spinoff instead. Instead of ending S.W.A.T. with season 8, the series could have continued to season 9 if the spinoff was going to focus on Hondo and other existing characters anyway. S.W.A.T. Exiles needs to prove that it is a direction that makes more sense for the franchise than season 9.
Source: Variety
