Shemar Moore had moved into a new chapter of S.W.A.T., but leaving his longtime castmates still stung. After eight seasons as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, Moore returned with a new team in S.W.A.T. Exiles.
The Starz spinoff kept Hondo’s familiar instincts while dropping him into a much darker world. Moore admitted the transition carried plenty of emotion, even as the franchise continued moving forward.
Shemar Moore says saying goodbye to his longtime S.W.A.T. cast was difficult as he moves into S.W.A.T. Exiles
“It’s hard to say goodbye,” Moore, 56, told PEOPLE ahead of the September 25 premiere. “We spent eight years together.” He added, “I’ve continued on as Hondo, and there’s been some changes. You’re gonna meet a new group of people.” Moore called the goodbye “hard” but accepted that Hollywood rarely keeps things unchanged. “In life, and especially in Hollywood, nothing lasts forever,” he said.
The actor also wanted the spinoff to offer something genuinely different. He asked, “If we’re gonna do something different, what makes it different?” His answer arrived through a grittier version of the franchise. “When you see this show, it’s darker, it’s grittier,” Moore explained. “It looks darker, it feels darker, it’s grittier — the tone — but it’s still S.W.A.T.”
A two-year time jump left Hondo in unfamiliar territory. His marriage had ended, his mother had died, and a failed mission pushed him out of the organization. “This world, this light, has gotten really dim,” Moore said. “The world feels heavy to him.”
Former commander Robert Hicks eventually approached Hondo about rebuilding S.W.A.T. However, Hondo discovered powerful forces wanted him to fail. “He’s been set up,” Moore said, explaining that someone wanted to “make him fail and make him lose, even if it means taking him out, taking his life.”
His daughter gave Hondo a reason to keep fighting. Moore said the character now found “a more human element of perseverance and finding purpose.” The physical demands remained intense. Moore joked, “In real life, I’m 56 years old, trying to move and look like I’m 30.” He was already preparing for Season 2, which he teased was coming “real soon.
S.W.A.T. Exiles will premiere September 25 exclusively on Starz.
