SWAT has seemingly avoided cancellation again and the beloved CBS show will be continuing via a new spinoff, SWAT Exiles, but this new iteration isn’t going to be the show fans know and love.
Yes, we will be seeing Shemar Moore back in action as Hondo. Yes, the show will be bringing back most of the behind the scenes crew in a move that is going to keep the show’s 200-person LA-based crew employed. However, this is going to be a stripped down version of the show we love and it seems there are not currently any plans to bring back additional members of the SWAT cast for the new spinoff.
As the premise for the spinoff hints, Hondo will be leading “a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits,” with the plan being to bring in up-and-coming actors rather than name actors. This also means that the show is not bringing back other key members of the original cast such as Patrick St. Esprit’s Commander Robert 'Bob' Hicks, Jay Harrington’s Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay, or David Lim’s Officer Victor Dan.
According to a report from Deadline, there are no current plans for SWAT Exiles to feature other SWAT cast members, and it was Moore who broke the news to the cas,t informing them that “there was going to be a spinoff which none of them were part of.” It seems the only possible way we could see an original cast member pop up would be as a guest star, but nothing is in place, it seems, and it also appears that there could be some bad blood between the SWAT cast and this new spinoff project.
As Deadline reports, some cast members were “upset about not getting a call from the studio and by the fact that they were not asked back” for the spinoff. One talent rep even went as far as calling the lack of studio communication “inappropriate” and “a slight,” hinting that there was a bit of a mess behind the scenes when it came to communicating the new spinoff.
Needless to say, members of the cast aren’t the only ones unhappy about the idea of SWAT continuing with only Hondo. Fans aren’t exactly sold on the idea of the show basically starting fresh with Hondo serving as the only throughline for the spinoff. While there is an excitement to see the show continue, fans are understandably frustrated that the new SWAT spinoff is going to start fresh without any additional members of the show’s original cast set to play a major role in the new show or even appear in the spinoff.
“Please bring back the original cast also in the spinoff. That entire cast made the show what it was and made it the show we fans love. Not just Hondo,” wrote one frustrated fan. “Happy but sad to lose the original crew.. they got big shoes to fill by only bringing Hondo back and not the others.. Not sure how to feel yet,” echoed another fan, unsure of how to feel about the spinoff.
We’re eager to see what Sony is cooking up with this spinoff, but it is fair for fans to feel conflicted about the spinoff.
There is no denying that Moore’s Hondo has been the heart of the franchise, but what has always made the show special has been the ensemble element. It was hard enough when the show cut two original cast members in its seventh season, let alone to now lose all of the cast except Hondo.
Here’s hoping that Sony will reconsider its approach and find a way to bring back at least a few more familiar faces for the spinoff as the rest of the cast deserves a chance to return as well.