‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’: Shemar Moore Reveals Why He Likes Hondo’s Life Is Now ‘Darker’

Canceled three times. Resurrected three times. You can’t keep a good action-packed thrill ride of a show down. S.W.A.T., which ran on CBS for eight seasons, continues to live on as the spinoff S.W.A.T. Exiles, premiering on September 25 on Starz. Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson is returning to S.W.A.T. and “trying to find his purpose again,” says Shemar Moore, who plays the team leader. Two years have passed since he led an elite tactical unit, plus Hondo’s been off the job since a mission went sideways.

The new name not only applies to what happened to Hondo but also to the new young recruits (played by Lucy Barrett, Adain Bradley, Zyra Gorecki, Freddy Miyares, and Ronen Rubinstein) he’s brought back to train by Commander Hicks (S.W.A.T.‘s Patrick St. Esprit) — and let’s just say that the brass isn’t rooting for them to succeed. Moore’s joined by a mostly new cast, but some OGs will be back. In addition to St. Esprit, Jay Harrington and David Lim will appear as David “Deacon” Kay and Victor Tan, respectively.

Below, Shemar Moore fills us in on where Hondo is now.

Why has Hondo stepped away from S.W.A.T. and what brings him back in?

Shemar Moore: Well, there’s politics going on within the machine and there’s higher-ups that have an agenda to get rid of S.W.A.T. so they can change the format of policing and this and that. And so S.W.A.T. officers and S.W.A.T. tactics are being frowned upon, but the one thorn in, I call it the machine, but the system, the department side, is that Hondo has a legacy of changing the game for the better and for fairness. And Hondo’s philosophy and purpose was always to bridge the gap — within races, within community, within the tensions between civilians and police officers, black, white, green, or yellow, chasing down brutality, right from wrong. And Hondo being the badass that he is… but he can’t do it alone. So, he’s got a team.

And from the mothership, Hondo was brought in because of optics, because there was racial optics that weren’t making the department look good. His mentor at the time was a white sergeant and ended up shooting a Black kid. That’s how the last show was able to jump off the ground with that storyline of, can a Black man lead at the top and can Hondo pull it off? Is he qualified? Is the community, especially his community being a Black officer, going to accept him or is he a sellout? So, there was a lot of variables to the pressures on Hondo, the responsibilities on Hondo within the community, and also leading a law enforcement team. And then we got all the signature action, the theme song. And the team ran around doing some really, really cool things, helicopter chases and motorcycle chases and all that stuff.

And so here we are in the second rendition, the next chapter, and Hondo’s a little older, but he’s still got it in him to do it, but he has to fight a system that doesn’t want him, that’s setting him up to fail. He’s been brought back by his old commander, Hicks, and Hicks is under the gun as well. So, there’s a lot of similarities and familiarity from the old show, but it’s a new take, which is very exciting. It’s a little darker. It looks darker, the way it’s shot. The storyline is darker and grittier and not so much of a procedural, but more of a serialized show to where there’s an overall storyline that continues. And in order to see what happens or get to the other side of the story, the storylines continue.

So it’s not — yes, there’s a bad guy of the day, so to speak, but the bad guys all have something to do with the bigger picture story. That’s been kind of fun to where it’s not squeaky clean like, oh, something goes bad in one episode. Oh, bad guy shows up, team gets together, chases down the bad guy. And then a hooah moment at the end of 45 minutes. Now, it lingers. Some episodes we will succeed, and then some episodes we will not get the job done, but still be on it. It’s just a different take.

Hondo’s been set up with some rug rats, meaning some inexperienced youngsters much younger than Hondo, so he’s got to lead a team that he doesn’t necessarily initially identify with because they’re Gen Z. They think differently, they move differently, which is true to life. So, you’ve got me in real life, Shemar is 56 years old, still trying to run around and chase bad guys. Hondo’s probably, I’d say, 45-ish or something like that. And he’s dealing with a bunch of 20-year-olds and then 25-year-olds that aren’t necessarily qualified. So, in a very short period of time, he’s got to teach these youngsters right from wrong and life and death situations and how to handle themselves and be thrust into real life moments of danger. So, it’s thrilling.

But in short, I think fans can be excited because it’s similar, so they’ll recognize it, but it’s very different. The last show was so successful, and I’m grateful to Sony and now Starz being the platform that they’re continuing the franchise. They’re continuing the thrill ride. The fact that they believe in me to lead again, I’m very proud of that. I’m very grateful to that. But the theme song doesn’t go away. The thrill ride doesn’t go away. The crazy action doesn’t go away. The motorcycle chases, the hand-to-hand combat, all the super cool super cop stuff. But it’s done through a new dynamic of a new team, a new team, a new guard, and a lot of friction within the system. And you’re just going to have a lot of fun watching us defy the odds, be super cops, and take down bad guys.

The promo shows that what the new team thinks of Hondo — Jude calls him a relic, Cassidy says he’s a legend. 

There was a mission gone awry and there was a lot of coverup going on and Hondo was framed and took a hit. And so there’s controversy on whether or not Hondo was to blame for letting a kid get shot and killed. And Hondo has a lot of regret in that because he tried to save the kid. But the way it was put out in the press that Hondo broke protocol and was exiled from the teams, hence the name Exiles. Hence the name Exiles because Hondo was exiled and Exiles because these kids are given to Hondo to fail. They’re not qualified and the system seems to feel there’s no way Hondo will be able to succeed with these group of recruits that don’t have a minute. They don’t have what it takes to be true S.W.A.T. officers.

These young kids are believing different versions of the hype. Some believe he was set up and know his track record and are enamored and all by him, and some want to go toe-to-toe and question him and think that he’s not the legend that he’s been made up to be. So, he has to find his respect and demand his respect and show his ability and show his armor, what he’s made of. And it’s interesting to watch because there is all this friction in-house, regardless of just showing up and being super cops and chasing the bad guys. There’s many, many more dimensions to the storytelling and to the character arcs of who each of these individuals are and what Hondo has to deal with and prove himself yet again.

Jay, Patrick, and David are reprising their roles from the original series. You mentioned Hicks already, that Hicks is bringing Hondo back in. What can you say about what we’ll see from Deacon and Tan and how much we’re going to see of people from the original cast? Anyone else who hasn’t been mentioned?

Well, in the first season, those names that you just rattled off, they make appearances, which is nice because for the fans who have supported us for the eight years, they get to go down memory lane a little bit. I’m not going to say that they are in giant roles, but Patrick, who plays Hicks, he shows up a few times.

The relationship between Hondo and Deacon is also great for Shemar and Jay because in real life, he is like a brother to me. I’ve always teased him and said, “You’re an amazing backup quarterback,” because Hondo was the leader. But when Hondo couldn’t do it, Deacon was able to step up and keep the team together and get the job done. The fans from the old show are going to get to see some of their beloved [characters] from before, and they’re intricate parts of the story, but are they huge parts? No, this is a chance to get to enjoy S.W.A.T. as you knew it, but it’s a little different.

But you’re going to meet a new cast of characters that I think, in a very short time, you’ll find intriguing and you’ll fall in love with one or many. It’s an evolution of the show, but a lot of the history is still there because Hondo needs someone to talk to. Hondo’s past can’t just disappear. And by having Tan and by having Hicks and by having Deacon, you still get Hondo’s past to establish where he is in his life and in his career as you meet him in S.W.A.T. Exiles.

Other actors may be showing up. I have some ideas. Obviously I have to speak to Jason Ning as far as what we’re developing, the ideas that we want to portray. Jason runs the ship. He listens to me. He respects me as a lead actor and my creative side and my passion behind the show. I think you’ll continue to see Hicks. At times, you’ll continue to see Deacon, possibly Tan. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see Street [Alex Russell], maybe we’ll see Luca [Kenny Johnson], maybe we’ll see Alfaro [Niko Pepaj], Powell [Anna Enger Ritch]. Anything could happen. And also in real life, we got to figure out if those actors are available and all of those things, all those politics. But as far as story, yeah, I mean, I don’t see why the past couldn’t show up in the present at times.

Are we going to be going home with Hondo in the first season?

Well, Hondo’s life is a little darker and I liked it. Me as an actor, I don’t have to be so squeaky clean. And I love being a hero and chasing down the bad guys and if I’m a mentor, those are great, but it’s more interesting when you’re a little bit flawed.

So, when you meet Hondo in the first episode, he’s divorced [from Rochelle Aytes‘ Nichelle]. His life is pretty dark. He’s trying to find his purpose again. He doesn’t feel like he has much to live for because he’s been stained in his career. But the only thing that’s really keeping him afloat and keeping the fire and the fight in him is his daughter. You’ll see the frustration and the hesitation of wanting to get back in the machine and be the machine’s punching bag. But his moral code and his belief in himself and wanting to make his daughter proud and wanting to have some form of a legacy is what pushes him to get back on the saddle and try to get it done.

But it is darker, the show, which I like. The old show was grand and great and fun and [I’m] so proud of what we accomplished in eight years. This version of the show is exciting because it’s not more of the same. It is and it isn’t, but as I said earlier, there’s more layers to it and it’s storytelling. It’s got more humanity. It’s got more realistic emotion. It breathes. It’s edgier in story, in language. There’s more freedoms and breadth in the way that we’re telling the story of S.W.A.T. this round.

S.W.A.T. Exiles, Series Premiere, Friday, September 25, Starz