Shemar Moore is officially back as Hondo on the 2026 TV schedule. Following S.W.A.T.’s third and final cancellation at CBS, the spinoff, S.W.A.T. Exiles, premiered with good reviews. I am so happy that S.W.A.T. is back and just can’t seem to die. However, this does make me wonder if Moore will ever return to Criminal Minds, and he weighed in on the possibility.
Before taking on the role of Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson on S.W.A.T., Moore starred as FBI Special Agent Derek Morgan in the first 11 seasons of Criminal Minds. He briefly returned in guest appearances at the end of Season 12 and the beginning of Season 13, but fans have not seen him since then. While Moore hasn’t been back to Criminal Minds for a while, that doesn’t mean that the interest isn’t there, as he told TV Insider:
If Criminal Minds was to call — and years ago I went back a couple of times. I went back. I haven’t been back in a while because I’ve been busy. But if they asked Derek Morgan to come back, the answer would always be, 'Yes.' But for right now, I’m busy trying to make sure that people understand what S.W.A.T. Exiles is, and it’s no joke.
Plenty of fans, like myself, have been wanting Moore back on Criminal Minds, even more so since the start of Evolution. Unfortunately, as Moore pointed out, he’s been a bit busy with S.W.A.T., which premiered in 2017, just a year after he left Criminal Minds. Despite the two shows being on the same network and filming in the same city, schedules were probably a bit complicated, which is why Moore only briefly returned.
Now with S.W.A.T. Exiles, the actor is finding himself busy once again. However, even though he’s focused on playing Hondo, it sounds like he would be more than happy to return as Derek Morgan. It's worth noting that S.W.A.T. Exiles has already been renewed for Season 2, though, meaning Moore’s schedule is going to be busy once again. Luckily, Criminal Minds: Evolution has been a hit for those with a Paramount+ subscription, and there doesn’t seem to be anything stopping the show any time soon. So, hopefully that means Moore can work something out that makes it possible for him to balance both S.W.A.T. and Criminal Minds.
While Moore hasn't been back in a while, Criminal Minds: Evolution has been bringing back some fan-favorite characters who are not part of the current main cast. Matthew Gray Gubler made a surprise appearance during Season 18 of the procedural as Dr. Spencer Reid, but with him starring in an upcoming CBS series, fans may not be seeing Reid again any time soon. Like Moore, Gubler has also been pretty busy with other projects and has been asked to appear on numerous occasions, so it was nice that he was able to make time for a brief cameo. Maybe, someday, the S.W.A.T. star can do the same.
As much as I would love to see Shemar Moore back on Criminal Minds, I’m not so upset that the alternative is having him back on S.W.A.T. New episodes of S.W.A.T. Exiles air on Fridays on Starz. If you want to see Moore on Criminal Minds, though, all episodes are streaming on Paramount+. Season 20 will be coming soon, and there’s no telling what will happen or who could be showing up at the BAU, especially following the Season 19 finale bummer.
