By Edward Moore Even though SWAT Exiles is being labeled as a SWAT spinoff, the upcoming series is sounding much more like a ninth season. The original action drama ran for eight seasons on CBS before ending (for good) in May 2025. SWAT had been canceled twice before, but this third time has seemingly stuck, at least in terms of its title and CBS home.
Shortly after the SWAT series finale aired, Sony Pictures Television announced that a spinoff, titled SWAT Exiles, was in the works. Shemar Moore is set to reprise his leading role as Hondo in the show. It will follow Hondo coming out of retirement to lead a new, experimental team of rookies. However, the offshoot will also feature the return of more SWAT stars.
SWAT Exiles Could Add More Original Characters In The Coming Weeks
The Entire SWAT Cast Could Return
Tan and Deacon in uniform with their guns drawn inside a house in the SWAT episode Invisible
Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Espirit, who played Deacon Kay and Robert Hicks in the first show, respectively, are set to return for the SWAT spinoff. The two actors will reportedly serve as guest stars and appear in the pilot episode (per Variety). Beyond that, it's unclear how relevant Deacon and Hicks will be to the story in SWAT Exiles.
Now that Harrington and St. Espirit's involvement in the offshoot is confirmed, it wouldn't be shocking if other original SWAT cast members joined the party. SWAT Exiles (which still doesn't have a network or streaming home) starts filming later in September, meaning there's still time for more faces to return. Their appearances just might not have been finalized or announced yet.
Every Update Makes Exiles Feel More Like It's A Stealth SWAT Season 9
The SWAT Spinoff Doesn't Sound Like A Spinoff At All
Shemar Moore as Hondo looks on while wearing his dress uniform in SWAT
While these cast returns are exciting, they can't help but make one wonder if SWAT Exiles is simply SWAT season 9 in disguise. In fact, with Moore stepping back in as the leading actor, the spinoff's premise sounds more like a TV show undergoing a soft reboot, similar to Once Upon a Time season 7, Scrubs season 9, etc.
We'll have to wait and see the finished product to make a final conclusion, of course. However, it feels like the upcoming series could've easily been labeled SWAT season 9, and the audience wouldn't have blinked an eye. Yes, SWAT Exiles will still feature numerous changes. But at its core, the spinoff is seemingly just a continuation of SWAT.
Source: Variety
