CBS Cancelling S.W.A.T. 3 Times Candidly Addressed By Shemar Moore Ahead Of Sequel Show

Published Sep 21, 2026, 4:34 PM EDT EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the S.W.A.T. Exiles series premiere, star Shemar Moore is breaking his silence on the wild ride that predecessor show S.W.A.T. experienced during its run on CBS, which included three cancellations. Created by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan, S.W.A.T. debuted back in 2017 with Moore starring as Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, a member of the Los Angeles Police Department who's tasked with overseeing the S.W.A.T. department. Despite CBS attempting to cancel the series multiple times, S.W.A.T. continued, but it finally went off the air for good in 2025. With the spinoff right around the corner, Moore opened up about what led to this moment. In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns for our S.W.A.T. Exiles cover story, the actor admitted he was always unsure what the future held for S.W.A.T., even when CBS ordered an initial 13 episodes. "We made it, but we did we, though?" he wondered. The next step would be to receive a "back nine" to get a full-season order from the network, which wasn't guaranteed. That uncertainty haunted S.W.A.T. "season after season," according to Moore, who added that every single time a season ended, he and the rest of the cast and crew had no idea whether they would be reuniting for another year. The uncertainty eventually turned to dread when CBS canceled S.W.A.T. six seasons in. Moore took to social media to express his thoughts on the unfortunate decision, which led to network executives reversing course, "and they picked us up and then we did season 7." That was supposed to be the end of the road for S.W.A.T., but after Moore "ran my mouth on social media" again, an eighth season was ordered. The next cancellation would be the final one for the series, and as the actor noted in ScreenRant's interview, "nothing lasts forever." But the constant whiplash that S.W.A.T. went through proved that "the passion was there from us, and the passion was there from the fan base." Shemar Moore: "With S.W.A.T., we shot the pilot, we got picked up, and then you're like, 'Oh, we made it, but did we, though? Because now, we got to be good enough to get a back nine.' And it felt that way for season after season. Every time a season ended, you didn't know if there was going to be another one, and you didn't know if there was going to be another one. Six years later, we get canceled. And then I said a few things on social media, and people listened, and they picked us up and then we did season 7. And we got cancelled, and I ran my mouth on social media [chuckles]. We got picked up, and then we got through season 8, and nothing lasts forever. But the ride was there, the passion was there from us, and the passion was there from the fan base, and here we are with S.W.A.T. Exiles because of that passion, because of that fanfare that supported us from all over the world. Even though CBS' most recent cancellation decision was never reversed, Moore is reprising the role of Hondo for the brand-new spinoff S.W.A.T. Exiles, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television and will air on Starz, a premium network not connected to CBS or Paramount. Also returning from S.W.A.T. are Jay Harrington and David Lim, who play David "Deacon" Kay and Victor Tan, respectively. They'll be joined by new cast members Lucy Barrett, Freddy Miyares, Zyra Gorecki, Ronen Rubinstein and Adain Bradley. This new series will see Hondo join a new S.W.A.T. team consisting of inexperienced recruits. As Moore's character begins settling into the position, he discovers there's a mole on the team sending critical information to individuals who shouldn't have that kind of access, which could threaten the entire department. The first season will consist of 10 episodes, but that won't be the end of the road for the S.W.A.T. spinoff, as Starz has already ordered a second season. S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres Friday, September 25 at 10 p.m. EDT on Starz. Release Date September 25, 2026 Network Starz Directors Kevin Tancharoen Cast Shemar Moore David 'Deacon' Kay Jay Harrington Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson Jr. Patrick St. Esprit Robert 'Bob' Hicks Lucy Barrett Sammy 'Sam' Bishop Creator(s) Jason Ning Main Genre Crime Executive Producer(s) James Scura, Jason Ning, Jon Cowan, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Shemar Moore Producers Michael Gemballa, Brian George, Danielle Woodrow Seasons 1 Number of Episodes 10