Just when it looked like SWAT was over for good, the crime drama finds a way to survive yet again! A new spinoff called SWAT Exiles is potentially heading our way.
SWAT may be the most incredible survivor of any television show today. The CBS reboot of the 1970s show had been a success since it debuted in 2017 with Shemar Moore as Hondo Harrelson, leader of the elite LAPD police unit handling dangerous situations.
Fans were shocked when CBS announced the show would be canceled in 2023 before its sixth season finale. The backlash was so huge that within 48 hours, CBS renewed it for what was meant to be a 13-episode seventh and final season.
That was delayed until 2024 due to the Hollywood strikes. Then, midway through what was supposed to be the final year, CBS surprisingly gave the show an eighth season. That appeared to be the last one, with CBS announcing its cancellation once more in April.
But you can’t keep a good cop or cop show down as SWAT is back yet again!
What is the new SWAT spinoff?
In a surprising move, Sony Pictures Television announced that plans are underway for SWAT: Exiles, a 10-episode spinoff series. The plotline has Hondo forced into retirement only to be called back to lead a new unit.
There’s no word yet on where the show will land. Paramount+ is a logical choice, although SWAT is also a hit on Netflix, so it may land there. Either way, it seems unlikely CBS will take a chance on the spinoff of a show that they already canceled three times.
“After a high-profile mission goes sideways, [Hondo] is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits. Hondo must bridge a generational divide, navigate clashing personalities, and turn a squad of outsiders into a team capable of protecting the city and saving the program that made him who he is.”
Obviously, this means that Moore will be the only returning cast member, although there are hopes for cameos by original SWAT characters. The season 8 finale didn’t end on any cliffhanger or even a sense of closure, simply the team going about their usual missions.
This makes it a surprise that the plot is Hondo forced into retirement, as there were no hints of that coming. It is a classic spinoff idea of Hondo taking on a new team, although some may wonder if the show can work as well that way.
Can SWAT: Exiles succeed without the other characters?
While Hondo is the heart and soul of SWAT, many fans may be upset that the spinoff appears to be only him returning. It’s likely a combination of storyline and the producers finding it far less expensive to not pick up the contracts of the other actors.
Moore defended it in an Instagram post by comparing it to how a superstar quarterback may love his old team but, once traded, wants to win with a new one.
Moore did praise his past castmates while looking forward to a new squad to work with. He also pointed out how the show helps the crew and local workers in Los Angeles. It’s a good way for Moore to get ahead of the inevitable backlash of doing SWAT with a new squad.
It is tough to see SWAT without Deacon, Hicks, or others, yet it can make sense that they’re still on their own jobs while Hondo tackles the challenge of a new squad. There’s a lot of potential in a team that doesn’t know or yet trust Hondo and he has to win their respect. Likely, a couple of cops only know Hondo by his difficult reputation and are wary of him.
The show does appear to be a “fresh start,” not unlike a season 9 that would have jettisoned most of the regular cast. There’s also how Moore is dead right in that Hondo was the key to SWAT and continuing without him was folly.
We still need to know where the show will land, but with filming set to start, SWAT: Exiles will expand the SWAT universe and add to the show’s amazing survival!
Stream SWAT on Paramount+.
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