Shemar Moore’s S.W.A.T. Exiles Rewrites The Franchise’s Rules In “Unchained” Season 2

Published Oct 24, 2026, 11:19 PM EDT

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As S.W.A.T. Exiles season 1 continues to air, series star Shemar Moore has given a promising update about how "unchained" the second season will be.

Now that S.W.A.T. Exiles reviews have rolled out, the show has succeeded where it matters most, its audience. That is why it is a good thing that the team behind the series is already looking ahead to what the action drama's next chapter could be like. Fortunately for the viewers who are hoping to see the show go even harder in the future, its headline star has just teased that it will become more intense.

When work began on S.W.A.T. Exiles season 1, it was unclear where the show would air. As plans are being made for season 2, that has changed since the series now calls Starz its home. While being interviewed about the show by TV Insider, Moore remarked that knowing the series will be airing on Starz has given the team behind S.W.A.T. Exiles the freedom to make the new chapter more aggressive. Check out his comments below:

So if you think Season 1 is hot, we had to make a show. We pushed the envelope, but we could only push it so far because we didn’t know where we were going to land. So it definitely is edgier. It is more colorful. It’s definitely grittier and freer, and there’s more depth to the storytelling than the original show. But now that we have Starz on board, Season 1 is going to set it up in a big way.

For viewers at home, it is fun to think about things like which S.W.A.T. characters should return for S.W.A.T. Exiles. What they may not consider is how much physical strain actors undergo to be part of a series with the kind of action featured in the spin-off. As he continued to talk to TV Insider, Moore hinted at how difficult preparing for the series is. He then returned to the subject of how grandiose season 2 would be.

"We’re starting in about a month or so here, that’s why I’m back in the gym trying to keep my Hondo together and everything hurts, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’m going to give you that Hondo. But Season 2 is going to be off the charts because we’ve got complete freedom to, what I like to say is let the fat fly — Hondo unchained, S.W.A.T. Exiles unchained. So get into Season 1 on Starz and trust me, it’s just the beginning."

When S.W.A.T. Exiles was originally announced in May 2025, Sony Pictures was taking the risk of producing the series without having a deal with a network or cable channel in place. For that reason, the team behind the series needed to make sure that it wasn't too hot for network TV in case that is where it landed. That changed months later, in June 2026, when outlets reported that the series was set to premiere on Starz. That gamble appears to have paid off for everyone involved, as S.W.A.T. Exiles is a hit.

For some shows and movies, being too intense can be a negative thing that actually holds the storytelling back. However, it makes perfect sense for a show about a S.W.A.T. team to embrace that intensity, given that standard police officers call on them when situations become exceptionally dangerous.

S.W.A.T. Exiles airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

Cast

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  Shemar Moore

  David 'Deacon' Kay

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  Jay Harrington

  Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson Jr.

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  Patrick St. Esprit

  Robert 'Bob' Hicks

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  Lucy Barrett

  Sammy 'Sam' Bishop