S.W.A.T. Exiles has a difficult job. The new Starz series brings back Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson after the original S.W.A.T. ended its CBS run, but it cannot simply recreate the same formula with a new team. After watching the first four episodes, S.W.A.T. Exiles shows enough promise to suggest that it could become something more than a continuation built around nostalgia.
The new series puts Hondo in a very different position. After an operation goes badly and pushes him away from the LAPD, he returns to a department that needs his experience but gives him an entirely new group of officers to train. That change allows S.W.A.T. Exiles to explore a version of Hondo who is carrying years of guilt, grief and unresolved mistakes.
At the same time, the series is still working out exactly what it wants to be. Some of the opening storytelling is confusing, and the connection to the original S.W.A.T. can sometimes feel stronger than necessary. But the first four episodes make one thing clear: S.W.A.T. Exiles has the ingredients for a compelling new chapter if it gives its new characters enough room to develop.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Review: A Grittier Start for Hondo
The biggest reason to watch S.W.A.T. Exiles is still Shemar Moore’s Hondo, but this is not quite the same Hondo viewers knew from the CBS series.
The spinoff begins after Hondo has spent several years away from the LAPD following an operation that went sideways and triggered an intense internal affairs investigation. The circumstances surrounding his departure are gradually explained, but the opening episode initially makes the timeline harder to follow than it needs to be.
Once Hondo’s situation becomes clear, however, the character work becomes much stronger.
Commander Hicks, played by Patrick St. Esprit, helps bring Hondo back into the fold, giving him another opportunity to return to the work that has defined much of his life. But Hondo is not simply walking back into his old job. He is returning with emotional baggage that changes how he approaches both leadership and the people around him.
That makes S.W.A.T. Exiles noticeably grittier than the original series in its early episodes.
Hondo has always been a confident leader, but this version of the character feels more guarded. His mistakes continue to affect him, and Moore uses that history to give Hondo a more vulnerable side without turning him into an entirely different character.
Shemar Moore Gives Hondo a More Vulnerable Side
Shemar Moore remains one of the strongest elements of S.W.A.T. Exiles, particularly when the series allows Hondo to step away from the action and deal with the consequences of his past.
The new Hondo can appear closed off in one scene and deeply vulnerable in the next. That contrast gives Moore more dramatic material than simply having Hondo command another tactical operation.
As the first four episodes move forward, viewers begin to learn more about what happened during Hondo’s years away from the LAPD. The series uses those revelations to explain why returning to S.W.A.T. matters to him and why leading another team is not necessarily as straightforward as it appears.
Hondo clearly wants to get back to his purpose, but S.W.A.T. Exiles does not pretend that returning to work will magically erase everything that happened to him.
That is where the spinoff has some of its most interesting material.
The New S.W.A.T. Exiles Team Gives the Spinoff a Fresh Dynamic
S.W.A.T. Exiles cannot rely entirely on Hondo, and thankfully, it does not try to.
The series introduces a new generation of officers who become the foundation of Hondo’s new team. Rather than returning to the familiar Twenty Squad dynamic from the CBS series, Hondo is now responsible for helping shape the new Forty Four squad.
That distinction gives the spinoff a different relationship between its central character and the rest of the team.
Hondo is no longer simply leading a group of established officers who already understand the demands of S.W.A.T. Instead, he has to train and develop people who are still trying to prove that they belong.
That setup also explains the title Exiles. These officers are not presented as a polished replacement for the original team. They are inexperienced, unconventional and still figuring out where they fit within the organization.
Who Is in the S.W.A.T. Exiles Cast?
The S.W.A.T. Exiles cast combines Shemar Moore’s returning Hondo with a group of younger characters who become increasingly important as the story progresses.
Ronen Rubinstein plays Jude Callan, while Freddy Miyares plays Ethan Cole, an intensely analytical member of Hondo’s new team. Zyra Gorecki portrays Cassidy Reed, Lucy Barrett plays Samantha Bishop, and Adain Bradley appears as Malik Anderson.
The characters have noticeably different personalities, which helps prevent the new squad from feeling like a collection of interchangeable S.W.A.T. officers.
Samantha, for example, brings a more outwardly energetic presence to the group while coming from a family with a law-enforcement background. Ethan approaches the job from a more analytical perspective.
Those differences matter because the long-term appeal of S.W.A.T. Exiles will depend on whether viewers become invested in the new squad rather than simply waiting for familiar characters from the original show to appear.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Is Not Just a New Version of the Original Series
One of the more important things to understand about S.W.A.T. Exiles is that it is not simply trying to recreate the CBS series with different faces.
The procedural foundation is still there, but the new show gives more attention to character relationships and the personal histories behind the team.
Hondo’s position is particularly different. In the original S.W.A.T., he was an established leader at the center of Twenty Squad. In Exiles, he has to work with officers who are still learning the job and learning each other.
That creates a generation gap that the show can use to its advantage.
Instead of making Hondo another rookie alongside the rest of the team, the series places him in the role of mentor. He has experience that the younger officers lack, but his own personal struggles mean he is not necessarily the perfect leader.
That relationship could become one of the defining elements of the spinoff.
The Biggest Problem With S.W.A.T. Exiles Is Its Opening
The first four episodes also reveal where S.W.A.T. Exiles needs improvement.
The beginning of the season introduces a confusing incident surrounding Hondo’s return. The storyline eventually explains itself, but the way the information is initially presented can make it difficult to understand exactly how the events connect.
For a show that is already asking viewers to adjust to a new setting, new squad and altered version of its central character, that early confusion works against it.
The good news is that the problem does not define the entire season.
Once Hondo’s history becomes clearer and the new team’s personalities begin to emerge, the series develops a stronger sense of direction. The show appears more interested in building its characters than simply racing from one tactical sequence to another.
That gives S.W.A.T. Exiles time to establish its own identity.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Needs to Stand on Its Own
The biggest long-term question for S.W.A.T. Exiles is whether it can escape the shadow of the original S.W.A.T.
That is a difficult balance for any spinoff. The series needs enough recognizable elements to appeal to existing fans, but it also needs a reason to exist beyond continuing a familiar brand.
The new team is the obvious answer.
If Exiles gives its younger characters their own relationships, conflicts and storylines, the show can gradually become less dependent on Hondo and the original series. The case-of-the-week structure can remain, but the characters need to develop identities that belong specifically to this new version of the franchise.
The first episodes are already moving in that direction.
There are familiar connections to Hondo’s past, including appearances involving David “Deacon” Kay, played by Jay Harrington. However, these returning elements do not necessarily make Exiles a direct continuation of everything that happened in the CBS series.
Instead, they function as reminders of Hondo’s history while the new team begins establishing its own story.
Is S.W.A.T. Exiles a Sequel to the Original S.W.A.T.?
S.W.A.T. Exiles is a spinoff connected to the world of the original CBS series, but viewers should not approach it as a simple continuation of the old show’s team dynamics.
Hondo remains the major connection, while the new Forty Four squad gives the Starz series a different structure.
That distinction is important for longtime fans. Familiar characters and references can appear, but the central story is now focused on Hondo’s new circumstances and the officers he is training.
In other words, the series uses the original S.W.A.T. as its foundation without making the old team responsible for carrying the entire show.
That approach gives Exiles a better chance of becoming its own series.
What Makes S.W.A.T. Exiles Different From S.W.A.T.?
The biggest difference between S.W.A.T. and S.W.A.T. Exiles is the relationship between Hondo and his team.
The CBS series established Hondo as the leader of Twenty Squad, while the Starz spinoff places him in charge of a group of newer officers who still need to prove themselves.
The tone is also somewhat grittier. Hondo’s personal struggles are placed much closer to the center of the story, and the new series spends more time establishing the emotional consequences of his past.
That does not mean the procedural elements have disappeared. Tactical operations and team-based action remain important, but the first episodes suggest that Exiles wants the characters to matter just as much as the missions.
That could ultimately be what separates the spinoff from its predecessor.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Has Potential, But It Needs Time to Find Its Voice
After the first four episodes, S.W.A.T. Exiles feels like a series that has not completely found its identity yet.
The opening is occasionally confusing, and the shadow of the CBS series is difficult to escape. Those are real challenges for a spinoff built around a returning lead character.
But there is also plenty of potential.
Shemar Moore gives Hondo a more complicated emotional foundation, while the new cast provides a younger group that can develop its own relationships over time. The decision to make Hondo a mentor rather than simply recreate his old leadership role is particularly useful because it changes his relationship with the rest of the team.
The series also has the opportunity to make the Forty Four squad feel like a genuine team instead of a replacement for Twenty Squad.
If it succeeds at that, S.W.A.T. Exiles could eventually become more than a nostalgic extension of the CBS show.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Release Date and Where to Watch
S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres Friday, September 25, 2026, on Starz, with new episodes scheduled to air weekly.
The series is aimed at both existing S.W.A.T. viewers and audiences looking for a new police procedural, but understanding its different approach is important before watching.
The first season has already been renewed for a second season according to the supplied source, giving the series additional room to develop its new characters and move further away from its predecessor.
For now, the first season’s biggest challenge is simple: establish why this new team deserves to exist.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Review: A Promising Spinoff That Still Needs to Grow
S.W.A.T. Exiles does not immediately reinvent the franchise, but its first four episodes provide enough new material to justify its existence.
The return of Shemar Moore as Hondo gives longtime fans a familiar anchor, while the Forty Four squad provides the foundation for something different. Hondo’s personal struggles also give the series a more introspective side than the original procedural formula typically allowed.
There are still rough edges, particularly in the opening episode and in the show’s effort to separate itself from the CBS series. But the new characters have room to develop, and the generational divide between Hondo and his trainees gives the spinoff a useful dramatic engine.
The real test will be whether S.W.A.T. Exiles can stop feeling like a spinoff and start feeling like its own show.
Based on the first four episodes, it has not completely reached that point yet. But it is heading in an interesting direction.
S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres September 25 on Starz, with new episodes airing weekly.
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