S.W.A.T. EXILES: Can Someone Make the Spinoff's Premise Make Sense…?

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24-05-2025

The S.W.A.T. EXILES spinoff news landed smack dab in the middle of my six-day vacation, so I only recently got around to getting eyes on and processing exactly what it is.
Having now done so, and as a 'charter subscriber' to the eight-season CBS reboot that twice defied cancellation, I have questions.
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First off, make no mistake, I commend the mission of the spinoff, to not only keep the S.W.A.T. brand alive but 'preserv[e] jobs for the 200-person local production crew who have been instrumental to the success of the original series for the last eight seasons,' as the press release put it.
Because as 'Well, that's show business!' as a TV show's cancellation may be, it does threaten the livelihood of the many crew members who count on the steady gig. Especially when even a 'steady' gig these days translates to fewer episodes (and thus fewer weeks of work, fewer paychecks) per season.
Now… all that said… does the premise make a lick of sense to anyone?
In this spin-off of the hit series, after a high-profile mission goes sideways, Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson (played by Shemar Moore) is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental SWAT 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.
From the S.W.A.T. EXILES press release
Let's take it piece by piece…..
S.W.A.T. over eight seasons has dealt with many high-profile missions, and while the team's methods are sometimes called into question or ruffle a politician's feathers, an op has never quite 'gone sideways.' What does that mean here? Was there preventable loss of civilian life? Or was it a PR fiasco, where, say, 20-Squad was assigned to protect a government VIP… but didn't?
So, not only was Hondo not part of the mission that went 'sideways,' he was in 'forced retirement' at the time.
Forced retirement? For Hondo?? He was always a veritable Boy Scout, one of the straightest shooters on the team. After the several times that Hondo has tested politicians' patience, I can't imagine what act would subject him to forced retirement. And as far as half-assed Internet research can tell me, there is no mandatory retirement age for SWAT. (Shemar Moore appears to be around 55.)
It sounds like after the 'sideways' mission, SWAT as a whole is closer than ever to being disbanded — which in and of itself seems improbable, as you need that amped-up line of policing for the dicier situations. But even if you buy into SWAT's threatened dissolution, who up the food chain would sign off on an 'experimental' unit? Seems reckless. Especially when it is…
This is where the synopsis really lost me.
So, the SWAT program is hanging on by the thinnest of threads after a team of well-trained, veteran officers couldn't keep a high-profile mission from going damningly 'sideways.' And your 'last-chance, experimental' solution is to put Hondo in charge of 'untested, unpredictable' recruits? After multiple instances (including in the last two finales!) where Hicks and Hondo couldn't find anyone up to snuff to fill a vacant slot?
Tapping untested, unpredictable officers to form a squad that will be extra-averse to 'sideways' missions… doesn't math.
Again, if a well-trained 20-Squad couldn't avoid one (1) 'sideways' mission, who would expect a collection of misfit toys armed with big guns to fare at all better?
And we haven't even gotten into the whole 'culture clash of Gen X versus Gen Z,' as Sony Pictures TV Studios chief Katherine Pope described the Hondo vs. recruits dynamic to Variety. 'Where Hondo is all about duty, hierarchy and chain of command,' Pope said, 'the Gen Zers are a little more like, 'I might need to take a mental health day. I want to talk about it. I want to understand it.''
Of course, the question about (other than where it will air/stream Stateside) is: 'Where are Deacon, Tan et al?' Were they part of the team whose mission went sideways, and are now persona non grata?
I 'get' that, financially, the spinoff works because you're shedding several eight-season salaries, and in turn hiring some fresh blood on the cheap. But for Hondo to tackle this new job without ever engaging with any old pals will be conspicuous. (Like, he and his new team must report to someone; will it not be Hicks?)
Hopefully, we can take heart in something else that Sony TV's Pope said — that while the creative team is 'still putting it all together,' 'I think you can expect some of your favorites to be a part of it in some way.'
What do you think of the idea?
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