Key Takeaways
- Shemar Moore said leaving much of the original S.W.A.T. cast after eight seasons was “hard,” but accepted that “nothing lasts forever” as he continued playing Hondo in S.W.A.T. Exiles.
- The darker, grittier spin-off finds Hondo divorced, grieving his mother and rebuilding S.W.A.T. with younger recruits, while Jay Harrington, Patrick St. Esprit and David Lim return from the original series.
- S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres Sept. 25 on STARZ and secured a second-season renewal before its debut, with Moore insisting he has no plans to quit playing Hondo.
Shemar Moore may still be playing Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, but moving into S.W.A.T. Exiles meant leaving behind much of the cast he spent eight years working alongside.
“I’ll be honest, it was hard,” Moore told People ahead of the Exiles premiere on STARZ. “You know, it’s hard to say goodbye. But in life, and especially in Hollywood, nothing lasts forever.”
The original S.W.A.T. ran on CBS from 2017 until 2025, with Moore leading the series throughout its eight seasons. While Exiles keeps Hondo at the center, the new show largely surrounds him with different faces. Ronen Rubinstein, Freddy Miyares, Zyra Gorecki, Adain Bradley and Lucy Barrett play members of Hondo’s new unit.
“We spent eight years together,” Moore said of his former co-stars. “I’ve continued on as Hondo, and there’s been some changes. You’re gonna meet a new group of people.”
Not everyone from the original series is gone. Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit reprise their roles as David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively, while David Lim returns as Victor Tan later in the season.
But Moore said continuing the franchise required more than swapping out the team around Hondo. He wanted Exiles to distinguish itself from what came before. “When you see this show, it’s darker, it’s grittier,” he said. “It looks darker, it feels darker, it’s grittier — the tone — but it’s still S.W.A.T.”
That difference extends to Hondo himself. Exiles jumps ahead two years and finds him divorced, grieving the death of his mother and dealing with the fallout from a disastrous mission that pushed him out of the organization. “This world, this light, has gotten really dim,” Moore said. “The world feels heavy to him.”
Hicks eventually approaches Hondo about rebuilding S.W.A.T. with an experimental group of younger recruits. According to Moore, however, Hondo soon realizes there are people working against him. The assignment becomes as much about finding a reason to keep going as rebuilding a tactical unit, with his daughter becoming central to that motivation.
“It’s still Hondo, but now you’re gonna see a more human element of perseverance and finding purpose,” Moore said.
Moore is already training for the next round, although playing Hondo at 56 requires considerably more preparation than it once did. “You have to be in shape to do this job. It’s not just vanity,” he said, pointing to the running, fighting, and stunt work packed into production.
And after saying one difficult goodbye, Moore isn't preparing to say another anytime soon.
“I ain’t quitting,” he said. “I ain’t quitting until Father Time just says, ‘Hey, sit down somewhere.’”
S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres Sept. 25 on STARZ.
