‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’ Review: Shemar Moore Leads a New Generation of S.W.A.T.

After eight seasons, you would think we had seen the last of Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, but thankfully that’s not the case. S.W.A.T. Exiles brings Hondo back, but this time things are definitely different. The new series picks up with Hondo in a very different place and brings him back into the S.W.A.T. world with a brand-new team of young recruits.

I got the chance to watch the first four episodes, and I’m not gonna lie, I was curious about how this was going to work. When you have a show that ran for eight seasons and built up a cast that fans got used to, starting over with a mostly new group can be a tough sell. But I actually like what they are doing with Exiles so far.

Hondo is still Hondo. He still has that presence, that leadership style, and that attitude that made him one of the biggest parts of the original series. But he isn't exactly walking back into the same situation we left him in. He has stepped away from S.W.A.T., and Commander Hicks, played again by Patrick St. Esprit, is the one who brings him back. Hondo is then put in charge of a completely different kind of team.

And this new team definitely has some personalities. Lucy Barrett plays Samantha “Sammy” Bishop, Adain Bradley plays Malik Anderson, Freddy Miyares plays Ethan Cole, Zyra Gorecki plays Cassidy Reed, and Ronen Rubinstein plays Jude Callan.

What I like about the new group is that they don't immediately feel like replacements for the old 20-Squad. They have their own personalities, their own problems, and their own reasons for being there. These aren't five characters who already have everything figured out. Hondo basically has to take this group of outsiders and turn them into an actual S.W.A.T. team.

And yeah, that creates some funny moments because Hondo is trying to teach them the old-school way of doing things while this younger generation has their own ideas about how things should work. There is definitely a generational clash going on, and I think that is going to be one of the most interesting parts of the show moving forward.

The first four episodes also give us a chance to get to know everybody without trying to dump their entire backstory on us at once. Some characters immediately stand out more than others, but I can already see where the chemistry could go as the season continues. Jude, Ethan, Cassidy, Sammy and Malik all bring something different to the group, which is important because Hondo needs a team that doesn't just copy what his old squad did.

And then you have Hondo himself. That's probably the biggest reason longtime S.W.A.T. fans are going to want to check this out. Shemar Moore clearly knows this character inside and out, but Exiles is showing us a side of Hondo that we haven't really seen before. He's not simply walking back into 20-Squad and picking up where he left off, 20 squad is over . He's dealing with where his life is now while trying to figure out what his next chapter looks like. Even though this is a new team, the show still understands that Hondo is the connection between the old S.W.A.T. and this new version.

And don't worry, there is still plenty of action. The tactical situations, shootouts, chasing bad guys and overall S.W.A.T. feel are still here. At the same time, Exiles feels a little different from the original series. It has a grittier feeling to it, and there is more of a focus on Hondo and this new group trying to figure each other out.

One thing I appreciate is that you don't necessarily need to have watched all eight seasons of the original S.W.A.T. to understand what is happening here. Obviously, longtime fans are going to get more out of Hondo's history, but the first four episodes do a good job of introducing the new characters and establishing what this new team is about.

I'm not ready to say where I think the show is going after only four episodes, but I will say this: I’m interested. The biggest question for me going into S.W.A.T. Exiles was whether I would care about a new team after spending eight seasons with the original one. So far, the answer is yes.

Hondo is still the heart of the franchise, but now he has a completely different team to work with, and watching him try to turn these five outsiders into S.W.A.T. officers could be a lot of fun.

S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres September 25 on Starz, and after seeing the first four episodes, I'm definitely going to keep watching to see where Hondo and this new crew go from here.