S.W.A.T. Exiles Review: A Spinoff Still Finding Its Way, Despite Real Potential

S.W.A.T. Exiles Review: Despite Potential, The Spinoff Struggles To Find Its Way

Published Sep 23, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

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Throughout its eight-season run on CBS, S.W.A.T. was one of the network's most consistently inconsistent shows, and while its spinoff, S.W.A.T. Exiles, is able to fix some of those inconsistencies, it doesn't necessarily feel like it's earned its place. After watching the first four episodes of the Starz original series, which came to fruition after the 2017 CBS series was cancelled for the third and final time in 2025, it's clear that SWAT Exiles is looking to recapture the original's magic and spin it on its ear. S.W.A.T. spent years as a CBS procedural, but Exiles is something else.

The updated series is a gritty take on the original series that brings in Shemar Moore's Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson after a few years of disarray, after an operation goes sideways and pushes him away from the LAPD entirely. Thankfully, Hondo's only away from S.W.A.T. for a short amount of time for viewers, but the introductory moments to the series feel bleaker than the original series did as Hondo brings us up to speed on where he is in the present day. With Hondo brought back into the fold by Commander Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit), he's ready to roll S.W.A.T. quickly.

S.W.A.T. Exiles still feels like it's finding its footing in its early episodes, but there's definitely hope it hits its stride.

While S.W.A.T. Exiles isn't a rinse and repeat of the CBS version of S.W.A.T., the new series brings enough of its predecessor into the mix to make it feel familiar, perhaps in too many ways. With more character work up front and higher stakes, S.W.A.T. Exiles still feels like it's finding its footing in its early episodes, but there's definitely hope it hits its stride as it continues.

S.W.A.T. Exiles' Semi-Confusing Start Leads To An Interesting Path

There's something up top to address about S.W.A.T. Exiles: there's a confusing incident at the top of the season that resolves itself throughout the first episode, but ultimately left me uncertain about the flow of events that led to Hondo's return. Despite that confusion, the lead-up to Hondo's return to the LAPD is clear-cut. Hondo, who left S.W.A.T. after an operation went sideways and saw him at the center of an intense IA investigation, is shown to be carrying a lot of guilt and shame, but still feels enough like the same character we've known that it's comforting.

Moore is great with these scenes, his performance allowing Hondo to seem equally vulnerable and closed off in different moments.

With enough time, space, guilt, and grief, however, Hondo does feel like a different version of himself, one who needs to get back to his true purpose. As the series moves forward, we as viewers get to learn more about what Hondo's life has looked like in the past few years since his forced retirement, as well as the incident that led up to it. Moore is great with these scenes, his performance allowing Hondo to seem equally vulnerable and closed off in different moments. As Hondo prepares to take on another team, the mistakes haunting him are crystal clear.

Despite there being some confusion early on, Exiles makes its case fairly quickly, and the performances are a true highlight of the new series. The Starz version of Hondo is rooted in who the character's always been, but Moore is able to infuse the leader with a troubling sense of self that should make for a fairly dramatic stretch over the course of the season.

S.W.A.T. Exiles' New Cast Of Characters Sets A Great Tone

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S.W.A.T. was never just about Hondo, and S.W.A.T. Exiles follows the same path, bringing a new team of officers to the forefront as Hondo returns to the LAPD. An interesting mix of newbies, the entire onus of S.W.A.T. Exiles is that Hondo is brought in to work with a group of trainees who barely made it past candidacy, and the new team definitely highlights why they're "exiles". From Lucy Barrett's bubbly Samantha Bishop, who has an influencer-style presence despite coming from a family of cops, to Freddy Miyares's intensely analytical Ethan Cole, the group of new officers is consistently unique.

Actor	S.W.A.T. Exiles Character
Ronen Rubinstein	Jude Callan
Freddy Miyares	Ethan Cole
Zyra Gorecki	Cassidy Han
Lucy Barrett	Samantha Bishop
Adain Bradley	Malik Henderson

With their own dynamics, seeing the new group of rookies is a distinct difference between S.W.A.T. and S.W.A.T. Exiles. While Hondo led Twenty squad throughout the years on S.W.A.T., his work on Exiles is tremendously different in that he's leading, shaping, and training the new Forty Four squad. He may be rolling out with the newbies, but he isn't one of them in the way he was on the original series, and that distinction is great for S.W.A.T. Exiles. Allowing the new officers to get into unique relationships and form their own bonds will be a cornerstone of the spinoff.

Though S.W.A.T. Exiles has a lot to prove when it comes to building its own brand and being its own series, it doesn't feel like the cast of the new series will have any problems making the series their own. With the spinoff series building a clear generation gap between Hondo and his new team, the show's writing makes it clear from the jump that the new squad isn't the same as the one CBS viewers were used to. Exiles is giving its team room to grow, and I'm excited to see where they find themselves this season and beyond.

S.W.A.T. Exiles' Success Depends On Its Ability To Move Independently

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S.W.A.T. Exiles is something that both S.W.A.T. fans and those who are interested in procedurals can enjoy, but the show's biggest issue is going to be finding a way out from beneath its predecessor. Obviously, as a spinoff, S.W.A.T. Exiles needs to keep some of what made S.W.A.T. work in its DNA. As a streaming series and a show fighting against the masses, however, Exiles needs to find what makes it unique. Whether that be in the way the characters interact, the case-of-the-week stories themselves, or the underlying mystery of the season, S.W.A.T. Exiles needs to find its own path.

While viewers from S.W.A.T.'s run on CBS are the most likely to tune into Exiles, knowing going into the series that the spinoff isn't a direct continuation of the show is key. Throughout S.W.A.T. Exiles, viewers do get the chance to see recognizable people from Hondo's life, including S.W.A.T.'s David "Deacon" Kay (Jay Harrington), but they're not a part of his story in the capacity that viewers of the original series may expect. Instead, S.W.A.T. Exiles needs to take the chance to breathe on its own, even while it still seems like it's dependent on the CBS series.

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While it may seem like S.W.A.T. Exiles has an uphill battle ahead of itself, the show's opening episodes do prove that it's capturing a different era than its predecessor, which is already a good sign. Moving through its first season, having already been renewed for a second, S.W.A.T. Exiles is bound to give viewers more than they expect, with the team hopefully coming into its own as the series continues.

S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres on Friday, September 25 on Starz, with new episodes airing weekly thereafter.

Pros & Cons

• Familiar beats with a edgy new tone
• Exciting ensemble cast with room to grow
• Well-paced cases with a heavier character-driven slant

• Confusing entry-point arc that muddies the beginning
• Leans too much on the existing series to build its foundation
• Stakes that are meant to feel high, but are often too low to matter