Well, this is delightful and unexpected: While Shemar Moore was originally going to be the only S.W.A.T. cast member involved in the upcoming spinoff S.W.A.T. EXILES, it seems he won’t be making the journey alone, after all.
Though they’re only appearing as guest stars in the pilot, Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Espirit will reprise their roles as Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively, Variety reports. Both actors were part of the S.W.A.T. cast for the entirety of its eight-season run on CBS.
Harrington spoke exclusively with TVLine shortly after news S.W.A.T. EXILES broke in June, at which point he expressed some disappointment in not being involved in the spinoff.
“I’ve been in this business for a long time,” Harrington told us. “You don’t get ‘owed’ things just because you put in your time. If that’s the route they’re going to go, I wish it success. … So if there was any disappointment, it’s that when they announced it, we weren’t mentioned at all. That was it. And it was short-lived because I thought, “I’m not going to let that take away from what I know in my heart is eight years of putting in some great work.”
As previously reported, S.W.A.T. EXILES finds Moore reprising his role as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. “After a high-profile mission goes sideways, Hondo is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits,” per the official logline. “Hondo 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.”
It’s not yet known when S.W.A.T. EXILES will premiere, nor does it have a network or streaming home nailed down.
Are you glad to see these two reenter the S.W.A.T.-verse, even if they’re only guest-starring? And which other characters from the original series would you like to see pop up in the spinoff? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.
