S.W.A.T. may have been canceled three times, but the show just won’t go away. Shemar Moore returned as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson for the sequel series, S.W.A.T. Exiles, which premiered on the 2026 TV schedule in September, and its future looks bright. In fact, Starz renewed S.W.A.T. Exiles for Season 2 in August, and as the first season continues to air, the prep has already begun on the next installment. Now, Moore has used one word to describe what's to come that has me both hyped and worried.
Since S.W.A.T. Exiles has a mostly new cast, it was hard to tell how the series would go, even with Moore leading. So far, though, it’s been pretty intense, filled to the brim with action, and it seems like that will continue with the upcoming second season. The actor told TV Insider that he’s already gearing up for Season 2, which will go into uncharted territory for both Hondo and the series overall, and I’m intrigued:
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.
The use of the word “unchained” has me worried, but also excited. This could mean that S.W.A.T. Exiles will be upping the intensity for Season 2. How this will impact Hondo and 44 is unclear, but I could easily see it being both a great and horrible thing.
We’ve seen what Hondo is capable of, and we’re already seeing what the team can do. However, they’re still trying to get their bearings, while also proving to the higher-ups that they have what it takes. So, I am scared about how they could be impacted by an "unchained" challenge.
Of course, there’s really no way of knowing how Season 2 will go until we get to the end of Season 1. Its sophomore installment wasn't confirmed when filming wrapped for Season 1, so I'm curious to see if we get stuck on any cliffhangers. While we won't know about that for a while, Moore did make it very clear that what's to come is "edgier," "grittier and freer":
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.
When filming kicked off on Season 1 of S.W.A.T. Exiles, it had no home. Sony Pictures Television was still the only thing backing the series, so no one could predict what the show’s future would look like. Now that Starz has picked it up and the show is airing, it gives the writers a chance to see what fans are responding to and an opportunity to really give Exiles room to grow.
However, the drama that could be cooked up on screen because of this certainly worries me (but in an exciting way, because I live for the action).
I have been loving S.W.A.T. Exiles, and I have no idea how Season 1 is going to end, nor how Season 2 is going to go. S.W.A.T. always raised the stakes every season, bringing more action and intensity with each episode, and I love that Exiles is doing the same thing. On that note, I’m not sure whether to be excited or nervous about what's to come, but at least new episodes of S.W.A.T. Exiles are airing on Fridays on Starz.
