‘S.W.A.T.’: Shemar Moore on Married Hondo’s Softer Side, Plus Will Chris Return?

S.W.A.T. is all about heart and action, and for its final season, it’s kicking off with an episode full of just that. In the February 16 premiere, “The Promise,” the team heads to Mexico City to retrieve a fugitive who slipped from Hondo’s (Shemar Moore) grasp 10 years ago, and when things go awry, old wounds are reopened and the sergeant is once again on the killer’s trail, desperate to fulfill a decade-old promise.

“We get to go to Mexico City, which is amazing, just a beautiful country, beautiful city. We were right in the middle of it, right in the square, with the shots we were able to get, the sites we were able to get, and then [we got] to tell a really fun action packed story within it,” Moore tells TV Insider. “Hondo’s gotta dig deep. He’s the leader, and you see him running through the streets, jumping over cars, fighting and doing what he’s got to do.”

That kind of stuff is fun for the cast. “We feel like little kids just playing super cops in our backyard and we get paid to do it. That type of action and energy is what you’re going to see consistently with these final 13 episodes. If this is the end, we’re going to give you that theme song,” he shares, giving a little musical taste of it. “And all the action to go with it.”

S.W.A.T. will also continue to show the softer side of Hondo, with his family. He and Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes) ended last season engaged, and when we see them again, they’re married! “Being the badass Hondo, being the tough guy is a whole bunch of fun, but I like that he’s not one level,” says Moore, pointing out the same is true for the rest of the team as well, with Deacon (Jay Harrington) and his family and the drama Street (Alex Russell) has had with his mother.

Bill Inoshita / © Sony Pictures Television Inc.

“I like that we also incorporate the human elements of who we are besides super cops with badges. But seeing Hondo’s softer side with a daughter, with his now wife and being a family man, now he’s got more at stake,” the star continues. “In real life, the men and women of law enforcement leave their homes and they don’t know if they’re going to come home, and we try to bring authenticity to the show [with that].” (The cast has been trained by members of SEAL Team Six, San Diego PD SWAT, and LAPD SWAT.)

Of course, with this set to be the final season of the show, there has to be the question of returning characters, especially former SWAT team member Chris Alonso (Lina Esco), who left after five seasons. “We’re seven [episodes] in, but there’s some surprises coming, so it is possible,” according to Moore. “Lina Esco’s busy running around directing and modeling, doing her thing. I’m not sure honestly. But I know cameos are in the works. We’re reaching out to different talent that we’ve seen through the seasons and we see if we can incorporate them as part of our farewell tour.”

Jessica Camacho will be back as Vasquez for “an episode or two.” And Moore notes that Howard Stern‘s talked about them, “so we’ve been joking we got to get him on the show.” He adds, “I’d love to get the Howard Sterns or the Charles Barkleys of the world, or Conor McGregors, who are big fans of the show. If this is a farewell tour, why not just have some fun and bring them on the show?”

Related

Shemar Moore Talks 'S.W.A.T.' Ending: 'Maybe It's the Final Season, Maybe It's Not'

Sure, there will be plenty of fun this season. “Before we came back, I sat with the writers and I said, ‘Look, if this is the farewell tour, we don’t need to get really involved in B Stories and let’s just really hit the audience with our signature, which is the action with intense stories and controversies and just keep the pace up,'” Moore says. But there will also be causes for concern as well. Hondo will have reasons to be worried about “all” of the members of his team. “They’re all going to get their moments to shine, they’re all going to get their own stories where they’re the A story, and they have to deal with circumstances, and then the rest of the team has to come to their aid,” he previews.

As for the action part of the show, “You got a lot of running chase scenes, you got some hand-to-hand combat scenes, motorcycle scenes. A bunch of stuff is blown up. With the money that we’ve been allowed, we’re pulling out all our tricks with stunts and our action sequences. We’ve done seven [episodes] so far, and each one hits. Each one is edge of your seat television,” Moore promises. We’re ready for the ride.

S.W.A.T., Seventh and Final Season Premiere, Friday, February 16, 8/7c, CBS