2 More ‘S.W.A.T.’ Stars Returning for ‘Exiles’ Spinoff

The two will be appearing in the first episode of the new series, which is led by original star Shemar Moore.

September 9, 2025, 4:09pm

Pictured (L-R): David Lim as Victor Tan, Jay Harrington as David “Deacon” Kay, Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, and Annie Ilonzeh as Devin Gamble. Photo: Bill Inoshita/CBS

Two OG S.W.A.T. stars are joining Shemar Moore in the new spinoff.

Sony Pictures Television announced on Monday that Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit will be appearing in the first episode of S.W.A.T. Exiles.

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Harrington and St. Esprit will be reprising their roles as Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively, in the series premiere. Both starred in the original procedural for the entire run, which ended in May after eight seasons, and after getting canceled for a third time. The two are the first original stars announced to appear in Exiles alongside Moore, who is leading the new spinoff and reprising his role as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson.

Pictured (L-R): Jay Harrington as David Deacon Kay and Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks. (Photo by Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images)

Per Sony, “After a high-profile mission goes sideways, Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson (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.”

It was announced in May, just days after the finale, that Sony Pictures Television had given a 10-episode order to a new spinoff. Much of the cast spoke out about the news, including Harrington, who told TVLine that if there “was any disappointment, it’s that when they announced it, we weren’t mentioned at all. That was it.” Moore, meanwhile, defended the spinoff sans cast on Instagram, saying he wasn’t “gonna apologize for nothing. Nobody likes change. I understand that. I get it 100%. But without change, you can’t grow. You can’t win without taking your lumps.”

Pictured (L-R): Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks, Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson and Jay Harrington as David “Deacon” Kay. Photo: Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures Television/CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

As for who will be joining Moore on a full-time basis, Sony has just announced that the full cast will consist of Lucy Barrett, Adain Bradley, Zyra Gorecki, Freddy Miyares, and Ronen Rubinstein. Kevin Tancharoen will direct the first episode of S.W.A.T. Elite, which is set to begin filming later this month. Jason Ning serves as showrunner and executive producer. Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Film, Shemar Moore, James Scura, and Jon Cowan are also serving as executive producers.

S.W.A.T. premiered on CBS in 2017 and was canceled after six seasons in 2023. Following an uproar from fans and the cast, CBS and Sony came to an agreement to give S.W.A.T. a final season, consisting of 13 episodes. Ahead of the Season 7 finale, the following year, it was announced that the Eye network had given S.W.A.T. a surprise Season 8 renewal. CBS again canceled the show earlier this year, officially coming to an end in May. S.W.A.T. Elite marks the first S.W.A.T. spinoff.