Shemar Moore addressed the decision to bring S.W.A.T. back with a completely new cast.
“I’m so proud that we call the old S.W.A.T. We called it the mothership. In my career, one thing led to another, and you can always appreciate the whole journey,” Moore, 56, spoke exclusively to Us about returning to the Starz revival.
The actor clarified that the series had to evolve, adding, “If the old show wasn’t going to continue [on CBS] — and that decision was made — then why bring it back and just do the same thing? If you’re going to bring it back and do the same thing then you should have just continued what we had jiving.”
Moore defended the new take on S.W.A.T, which airs Fridays on Starz. “Business is business. It was tough. It was tough to say goodbye — even though this is a hello and it’s a wonderful hello,” he continued. “Trust me, it’s a reintroduction just on a deeper level.”
S.W.A.T., which premiered on CBS in 2017, followed a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team named Twenty Squad that operated in Los Angeles. The procedural faced its fair share of battles to remain on the air when CBS picked S.W.A.T. up for a seventh and final season. The network ultimately reversed that decision due to strong ratings in addition to viewer demand and S.W.A.T. returned for season 8.
But the celebration didn’t last long — the network canceled the show for a second time in March 2025. S.W.A.T seemingly came to an end two months later when the series finale aired on CBS. Days later, however, Sony Pictures Television picked up a spinoff titled S.W.A.T. Exiles which is set to star Moore, who publicly campaigned for the show’s comeback, and a new SWAT unit.
“We lost some folks as we knew it,” Moore noted. “Sony and now Starz believes in the franchise, which is amazing because that doesn’t always happen in Hollywood.”
While some viewers were surprised that Moore’s character is the only one returning full-time, the actor urged fans to give the new series a chance.
“My life and career has been about defying odds. So I’m so grateful, so proud and inspired to to prove Starz right. But it is always tough to say goodbye because when you work with people for for eight years, you become family,” he told Us. “And we’re still friends to this day. But nobody likes change. In life — and especially Hollywood — nothing lasts forever. So you got to ride that ride until the wheels fall off.”
For now, Jay Harrington, Patrick St. Esprit and David Lim are the alums who are expected to make an appearance in season 1. Moore, however, hinted that more surprises will be included when S.W.A.T: Exiles, which has already been renewed for season 2, premieres.
“I was like, ‘OK, if it’s going to be different then what’s going to be different?’ It looks darker, it feels darker and it’s edgier. The writing is different and I believe a little more grounded and a little more intense in storytelling and character development,” he teased. “It’s multi-layered in the storytelling.”
He continued: “There’s going to be a lot of badassery. There’s going to be super cops. We’re going to have helicopter chases, motorcycle chases and car chases. We’re gonna be in there throwing fists and hand to hand combat. We are going to do that. But there’s also a lot of layers in the characters that you get to meet in the chemistry dynamic.”
S.W.A.T: Exiles airs on Starz Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on the Starz app.
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