Shemar Moore and Hondo Are Back as ‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’ Lands a Starz Premiere Date
Few television franchises have survived as many near-death experiences as ‘S.W.A.T.’ The CBS police procedural built a fiercely loyal fanbase over the course of its run, with audiences drawn in equal parts to the adrenaline-fueled action and to Shemar Moore’s deeply human portrayal of LAPD sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. What followed over the years was a genuinely wild ride through the network television landscape.
The series was canceled by CBS for the first time in May 2023, only for the network to reverse that decision days later following significant fan backlash, ordering what was announced as a seventh and final season. CBS then surprised everyone again by renewing the drama for an eighth season, before ultimately canceling it for a third and final time in 2025, bringing the show to a close after 163 episodes. Most shows don’t get that kind of second and third chance, which made the finale sting all the more for a dedicated audience that had fought hard to keep it alive.
The good news is that the fight was not entirely in vain. ‘S.W.A.T. Exiles,’ the 10-episode spinoff series produced by Sony Pictures Television, has officially landed at Starz in the United States, with a premiere date set for September 25. Sony moved forward with filming before securing a U.S. distributor, then showcased completed episodes to potential buyers during screenings in Los Angeles, New York, and London before Starz ultimately acquired first-window domestic rights. It was an unconventional path to air, but one that clearly paid off.
The official logline finds Hondo being pulled out of forced retirement after a high-profile mission goes sideways, tasked with leading a last-chance, experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested and unpredictable young recruits. He 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. Joining Moore in the ensemble are Lucy Barrett, Adain Bradley, Zyra Gorecki, Freddy Miyares, and Ronen Rubinstein, while original cast members Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit will return to reprise their roles, with David Lim also set to appear in the penultimate episode.
Moore has been vocal about his excitement since the announcement dropped. In a statement, he said, “I couldn’t be more excited that Starz is bringing this next chapter to audiences in the U.S.,” adding a thank you to Sony Pictures Television for continuing to invest in what the team had built together and noting that the worldwide rollout makes the moment even more meaningful for fans everywhere. On the network side, Starz president Alison Hoffman called the show’s fanbase deeply passionate and said the company was thrilled to join forces with Sony to be the first place U.S. audiences could experience this new chapter in the franchise.
New episodes will air weekly on Fridays on Starz and stream simultaneously on the Starz app and all Starz on-demand platforms. Sony has also secured international distribution deals covering Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, with select territories premiering day-and-date. For a franchise that once seemed to be ending for good, ‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’ is shaping up to be one of the more satisfying comebacks in recent TV memory. Whether you followed Hondo through all eight seasons or are just discovering the franchise now, September 25 is officially a date worth circling on the calendar.
