When you tune into the newest version of S.W.A.T. in the form of Exiles, premiering on STARZ today, it won’t be your father’s police drama. Yes, it will still have the same theme song and take viewers on a thrill ride with car, motorcycle and helicopter chases, and employ hand-to-hand combat. But it will have a darker tone.
“It looks darker; it feels darker,” Shemar Moore, who plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, tells Parade in this exclusive interview. “The writing is different and a little more complex, a little more controversial.”
In S.W.A.T. Exiles, Hondo is tasked with leading a new squad of young, untested officers on dangerous, high-stakes missions – weekly cases that range from drug busts to hostage rescues to gang warfare. But beneath the action lies a darker setup: The team has been hand-picked to fail. As tensions flare and betrayals surface, Hondo must fight to hold the group together, even as his own leadership and sense of self are tested.
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It isn’t just the series that has changed, but Hondo as well. 2026 Hondo is somber and sad. His mom has died and he’s divorced from Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes). Moore sees parallels to his own life.
“In my real life, my mom passed away six years ago,” He says. “No pity party, just facts. But it rocked me. My father passed away two months before her, so there’s highs and lows alike. So, with Hondo being divorced and his mom passed away, he’s lost. But just like Shemar, I have my baby girl Frankie, and Hondo has his baby girl Vivian. My purpose was to make my mother proud, and now she’s gone. I still try to make her proud, but now I want to be the best version of myself for my daughter Frankie.”
The same is true for Hondo and his daughter. The result for Moore is that he sees the new version of Hondo with the new flaws as being more human.
“He makes mistakes, he doesn’t always get it right,” Moore points out. “He might even bend the rules, break the rules. He might keep secrets or even lie for the greater good of ultimate justice.”
Related: S.W.A.T. Exiles Trailer Teases Shemar Moore’s Hondo Hunting Down a Team Traitor
And that is compounded by the fact that Hondo soon learns that the new SWAT team has been set up to fail. Plus, one of his team is a mole, working against him. So, he has a choice. He can walk away or he can stay and fight. It’s quite the change from the original team where everyone pulled together for the greater good. In the new scenario, Hondo doesn’t know who he can trust.
“He doesn’t know where he stands,” Moore says. “He knows he has a target on his back. He has to look over his shoulder. I just think it’s interesting to watch Hondo have to deal with all of that and convince the team of their potential, of the greater good that’s bigger than themselves if they work together. The machine doesn’t want any of us to win. So, you cannot like me all you want, but I’m your ticket. Without me, none of us will make it, but if we work together, we can beat the machine. And that’s the through line of what you’re going to see in 10 episodes of Season 1.”
The first of the ten episodes that comprise S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres today exclusively on STARZ. The series has been picked up for a second season by Sony, which Moore says will begin filming soon. As to whether or not it will air on STARZ, that remains to be determined by this season’s ratings.
Next, S.W.A.T. Exiles’ First Look: See Shemar Moore’s Hondo Lead a New Team in Action-Packed Spinoff
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