CBS canceled S.W.A.T. for the third and final time after eight seasons, but it was much harder after Hondo's emotional speech in the season 8 finale. It was a hard pill to swallow, and it is even harder knowing that Sony and Shemar Moore fought for a renewal. In fact, S.W.A.T. season 9 almost happened, but the decision was made to move on with a spinoff series instead.
It was clear only Moore would be part of the new series, S.W.A.T.: Exiles; however, that wasn’t the worst part of the announcement. We’ve slowly learned that only Moore was in talks for the spinoff, and the rest of the team forming the 20-Squad weren’t aware of it until just before the announcement. Considering Hondo’s speech to the whole of 20-Squad in the S.W.A.T. season 8 finale, the entire announcement now feels off and like a bigger betrayal than it initially was.
S.W.A.T. Ends With Hondo's Speech About How Important The Team Is
Hondo Could See A Team Without His Family
At the end of the S.W.A.T. season 8 finale, Deacon called everyone into a room to hand out watches, making it clear he views the team as family. Hondo picked up on that speech, further sharing that he couldn’t see being part of the team without every member by his side. It was a warm way to end the series, especially at the time, we had no idea that the S.W.A.T.: Exiles announcement was on its way.
This team wouldn’t be what it is without you by my side. That goes for all of you, when I think of what we’ve been through together.
Hondo initially said the speech to Deacon since the two have worked together the longest. While Tan is also one of the original members of the series, his relationship with Hondo doesn’t go as far back as Deacon’s with the team leader. With that in mind and Deacon being the one to start the discussion, it made sense for Hondo to initially direct his speech to his second-in-command.
Before this, another speech also stood out, as Tan commented to Gamble that family doesn’t give up on each other. Hondo finished that with “not when it matters,” which adds another sting to the S.W.A.T. spinoff announcement.
S.W.A.T. Exiles Disregards Hondo's Speech About The Significance Of 20-Squad
Hondo Is Leading A New Team With Nobody Else Involved
The new spinoff is going to be set shortly after the S.W.A.T. series finale, with Hondo being forced into retirement somewhere between the two shows. He will be called back from retirement to lead an entirely new S.W.A.T. team. Nobody from the original team was going to be part of the story, which is something that hurt both Jay Harrington and David Lim, although Sony seems to have backtracked on that S.W.A.T.: Exiles decision.
The idea of Hondo coming back to S.W.A.T. without any of his "family" contradicts what he says at the end of the series finale. He makes it clear that his team is nothing without Deacon by his side and that he couldn’t imagine fighting the good fight without Tan, Miko, Gamble, and Powell. With Hondo coming back on his own, it disregards how he feels about 20-Squad completely. The least they could do is bring a couple of members from his team to return with him.
Why Moore's S.W.A.T Exiles Has Been Controversial
The Original S.W.A.T. Cast Members Weren’t Part Of The Discussions
Moore and Sony had been in talks about the spinoff idea after news of CBS canceling S.W.A.T. broke, since it was clear that the series wouldn’t be saved again. None of the other cast members were pulled into these discussions, but to make matters worse, they weren’t even informed properly before the official announcement.
Harrington says he was informed via text by Moore the day before the announcement was made, and it doesn’t look like Lim was given that respect. While there were mentions of Sony considering a S.W.A.T. spinoff, Harrington told TVLine that wasn’t the case, and that statement is Sony trying to save face after the controversy.
While Moore has defended the S.W.A.T. spinoff, he defended the show with a questionable statement about how he is the “Tom Brady of S.W.A.T.,” leading the fanbase and the actors involved in the original series to feel hurt. The S.W.A.T. cast members aren’t angry that a spinoff is happening, but the announcement of it could have been handled much better, and it’s not surprising that people like Harrington and Lim are disappointed.
Source: TVLine
