Jay Harrington & Patrick St. Esprit reunite with Shemar Moore in S.W.A.T. Exiles

The team of S.W.A.T.  is all set to return to make a comeback soon with the spin-off S.W.A.T. Exile. Soon after the original series was cancelled back in May 2025, Sony Pictures Television announced it would be producing the spinoff titled S.W.A.T. Exile. 

Shemar Moore was originally the only one who was signed up to appear in the spin-off. Now, as per the reports, two new names that are confirmed to appear on the show are Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Espirit will make a guest appearance in the Pilot as Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively. They have been the backbone of the show for a complete eight seasons. 

According to Deadline, the show will pick up with “Hondo” rejoining the force after an unsuccessful mission, which forces him to start over.
The show's synopsis stated:

"Hondo is forced out of retirement to lead a last-chance experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits. 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."

S.W.A.T. Exiles - Behind-the-scenes controversy 

This announcement came with some behind-the-scenes tensions as Jay Harrington admitted that he was informed about the spin-off as he received a last-minute call from Shemar Moore, a day before the news of the spin-off broke on the internet.  

Harrington made a revelation in his interview with TVLine.

He said,” Shemar reached out to all of us to say, 'This is what's going on…,' and, you know, there's talk that they'll reach out to us about stuff. He wanted to be the one to tell us and say, 'Your reps will find out shortly.'...You don't get 'owed' things just because you put in your time...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.”

After Harrington expressed his disappointment, David Lim, who played the role of Victor Tan, took to his Instagram expressing his hurt and how upset he was after 'no mention of the cast who helped build S.W.A.T. from day one'.

In his Instagram post, he wrote,” After 8 incredible seasons, it felt like we were brushed aside when there could've been a moment of reflection and recognition — for the people who built this show, and for the impact it had on so many. I may not know what the future holds for Tan, but I couldn't be more proud of what we created together — our cast, writers, producers, crew…our S.W.A.T. family. No version of this story can take that away.” 

Fans showed their love and support to the star, as well as expressed how heartbroken they were after it was announced that the OG S.W.A.T. squad would not return. 

S.W.A.T. Exiles - What to expect? 

The plot will revolve around Shemar Moore’s character, Sgt. Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson, as he came back from retirement after a high-profile mission, goes haywire. He will lead a group of recruits who are finding his traditional methods challenging, and highlight generational clashes. Hondo struggles to keep up with the new, unpredictable Generation Z. 
Audiences can expect a clash between the two generations that are Gen X ( Moore), which focuses only on duty and follows the hierarchy, on the other hand, the new Gen Z, who need open conversations and suggest having a broader approach towards social issues. Other than Shemar Moore, Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Espirit, there has been no confirmation about the cast and crew of the show. The production of the show is set to commence from late September 2025 in Los Angeles.

Stay tuned for further updates!