Just one year after wrapping an eight-season run on CBS’ “S.W.A.T.,” Shemar Moore’s stoic but righteous Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. returns on a new network in the spinoff series “S.W.A.T. Exiles.” Created by Jason Nig, the Starz show is set two years after the original series ended, and Hondo is in a very different place. Divorced and alone, he has also been ousted from the LAPD following a botched raid that ended with the death of one of his young squad members. These days, Hondo is a reluctant bodyguard for some of Los Angeles’ most insufferable billionaire tech bros, but his luck changes when LAPD Commander Robert Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit, reprising his role) offers him the opportunity to command a new unit. Deeply resentful following his forced retirement, Hondo begrudgingly takes the new position, but soon realizes he’s being set up to fail. A solid sequel to a well-liked procedural, “S.W.A.T Exiles” uses many of the same tricks that made the original show so popular. Yet, with a brand-new team and a handful of compelling storylines, the show proves it can stand on its own.
The 10-episode first season (four episodes were available for review) opens on an ordinary day in LA., where audiences get a glimpse of Hondo’s empty house. Aside from dirty dishes and a calendar covered in his young daughter’s doodles, there are few signs of life. He moves on autopilot, bitter about the past and working out his anguish with endless push-ups. Each day blends into the next, so when Hicks offers him the chance to suit up again, he decides he can’t pass it up. Yet almost as soon as he enters his new headquarters, Hondo recognizes this new role isn’t what it seems. It’s clear the LAPD has an image problem, and they’ve trotted him out yet again to fix it. Additionally, the short-tempered leader has been given an unpredictable Gen Z team who are difficult to corral.
Among the new 44 Squad, which Hondo aptly calls the Exiles, is Sammy Bishop (Lucy Barrett), a gun expert and social media star who, much to Hondo’s horror, has no qualms about live-streaming from headquarters. Malik Henderson (Adain Bradley), a Marine veteran and devoted husband and father, appears most suited for the job, especially when Hondo makes him Scout, or the point person for missions. (Malik has some skeletons in his closet, though.) Ethan Cole (Freddy Miyares) is a neurodivergent tech savant who picks up on way more than people give him credit for. Cassidy Han (Zyra Gorecki) is intense, disciplined and determined not to let her prosthetic leg define her, but her reserved nature makes her a mystery to her colleagues. The recruits are rounded out by Jude Callan (Ronen Rubinstein), a charming, cocky bad boy with unexpected depth.
At the start, Hondo flexes his rusty leadership skills and tries to get his ragtag crew to work as a cohesive unit. Still, despite the typical procedural formula with cases tied to gun smugglers, cartel assassins and kidnappings, the show remains topical enough to keep viewers engaged. When Hondo realizes his team is being undermined and someone on the inside is feeding information to the mayor’s office to take him down, the stakes for “S.W.A.T. Exiles” become more intriguing. While this conspiracy runs across the entire first season, the reveal of who’s behind it isn’t as straightforward as one might expect.
“S.W.A.T Exiles” isn’t as fixed or formulaic as other action-dramas. Episode 4, “Get Clear,” is a gem in the season. Instead of taking audiences through yet another mission, Hondo and the team are called before the Force Review Board to testify about a prior bungled assignment. Cutting back and forth between the present and the past, each member of the unit reflects on a hostage situation turned ICE raid that went completely off track, leaving an unarmed civilian shot dead by Hondo’s hand. As the officers recall the incident, Hondo focuses on finding out who the mole is and how to proceed with this information.
When it’s all said and done, “S.W.A.T. Exiles” doesn’t reinvent the wheel for its genre, or even from the previous series. But Moore is commanding and earnest as he steps back into Hondo’s shoes, this time, to shepherd a new generation of officers who are also trying to navigate their pasts and personal lives. And it looks like Starz believes in the franchise, since “S.W.A.T. Exiles” has already been greenlit for Season 2.
“S.W.A.T. Exiles” debuts Sept. 25 on Starz, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Fridays.
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