S.W.A.T. Exiles First Look Reveals Something New For Shemar Moore's Hondo That Has Me Quite Curious

One series heading to the 2026 TV schedule with a more erratic-than-usual path to the small screen is S.W.A.T. Exiles. The Shemar Moore-led spinoff of the thrice-canceled CBS drama S.W.A.T. was ordered into existence by Sony Pictures TV soon after the flagship’s legitimate series finale, but without a network or streaming platform attached. Moore celebrated wrapping filming in early February ahead of the studio showcasing it for potential buyers at the London TV Screenings, and we now have our first looks at the new action-drama.

By and large, the new images aren’t all that different from what one would have seen from the preceding series, just with new cast members replacing all the OG actors alongside Moore. Except look at ol’ Hondo himself, who is sporting quite a different look, at least on certain body parts.

Hondo Will Be Rocking Shemar Moore's Now-Fully Tattooed Arms In S.W.A.T. Exiles

To be sure, Shemar Moore's Daniel "Hondo" Harrison Jr. has long sported tattoos on his arms, so it's not like this is the most extreme change. But when fans see the character again in S.W.A.T. Exiles, both of his forearms will be covered in ink.

The simple reason here is that after S.W.A.T. finished filming, Shemar Moore himself got a slew of different tattoos applied, with one arm honoring his daughter and mother, and one arm dedicated to the actor's career hallmarks and other personal accomplishments.

I definitely applaud the look, and I maybe think it all looks even cooler when he's fully decked out as Hondo. (Not that it clashes with Moore's personal style or anything.) But given how personal the ink is, it's wild to me that he's keeping all of it intact while in character. Granted, I know it can be a major pain for actors to cover them, but the way Alan Ritchson hides his tattoos for Reacher via makeup seems pretty effortless on the surface. Which makes me wonder....

Will The Show Actually Work The Tattoos Into Hondo's Story Somehow?

Shemar Moore and Hondo's lives don't exactly run parallel, so I can imagine one or more characters in S.W.A.T. Exiles might have questions about what's being represented. It'd be one thing if it was a pattern or it was a lot of smaller images that are harder to pick up on camera. But we're talking his daughter Frankie's name going from his elbow to his wrist, which can't even be hidden in these first look pics.

So will we get an explanation about Hondo paying tribute to his uncle Frank Harrelson with the "Frankie" tat? Perhaps someone else from the character's past?

Or will Hondo just have a bunch of non sequitur tattoos that no one but me ever asks about when S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres later this year? That does seem like the more likely scenario, but it also seems like an organic way to invoke even more character development into the ten-episode first season as Hondo gets familiar with the rest of the new crew that he's been pulled out of retirement to lead.

Speaking of, pictured above is Ronen Rubinstein's Jude Callan, Lucy Barrett's Sammy Bishop, Adain Bradley's Malik Anderson, Zyra Gorecki's Cassidy Reed, and Freddy Miyares' Ethan Cole, with Moore obviously third in the mix. As far as familiar faces go, Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit are in the series premiere as Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively, and David Lim's Victor Tan is also set to appear.

The latest casting announcements include Bel-Air's Lenora Crichlow, who's set as a recurring guest star. Two other guest stars heading to S.W.A.T. Exiles include Selma Blair and Jerry O'Connell.

Hopefully we'll get a new trailer and news about a network or streaming home in the near future. Until then, all eight seasons of S.W.A.T. can be streamed via Paramount+ subscription.