When S.W.A.T. Exiles was first announced, it felt like it was going to have a Suicide Squad vibe.
It was a team made up of people virtually on their last chances to succeed, with a leader who had been forced into retirement.
The first trailer for the exciting S.W.A.T. spinoff is here, and it continues to give off that vibe, especially as Hondo makes it clear that nobody is expecting them to succeed.
Nobody cares what happens to them. They’re either washed up, disgraced, or packed with baggage that everyone within the LAPD wants to avoid.
However, Hondo is ready to prove to everyone that they’re wrong, and the good news is that he’s not alone.
He has the backing of certain members of his former team.
While we didn’t need the trailer to tell us Deacon and Hicks are back, it’s great to see the roles they will play.
Dive into the S.W.A.T. Exiles trailer first, and then we’ll get into the deep dive.
There are going to be certain aspects of that trailer that will stand out, and the biggest is the hint that more OGs are back.
As Hondo realizes there’s a mole in his team — an overdone storyline, and not something I’m overly excited about, but hey, it is what it is — he turns to his former team for support.
After Hicks pulled him back to S.W.A.T, he has to stand by him. Then there’s Deacon, who makes it clear, “We’re gonna need a bigger team.”
That line right there hints that more OGs will be coming back.
Tan is confirmed, but what about Alfaro, Powell, and Gamble? I’m gonna just say that this would be a great time to bring back Chris and Street!
Maybe Luca can come out of retirement to help, even if it’s in an unofficial capacity.
I’m still salty about how Luca and Street were written out of S.W.A.T. Season 7, so I need them to, at least, be mentioned in this series.
Of course, the OGs need to be there to support.
S.W.A.T. Exiles is focused on a new team, and it looks like we’ll be getting a lot of generational comments with the “Gen Z stare” line.
Lucy Barrett will play gun-show influencer Sammy Bishop. Freddy Miyares will star as the nerdy and awkward tactical savant.
Our resident wild card character of the brood is Ronen Rubenstein’s Jude Callahan, Zyra Gorecki stars as Cassidy Reed, and Adain Bradley will play the ambitious Malik Anderson.
This series is about Hondo training these new recruits, and he’s read their files. He knows how much they’ve screwed up in the past.
The past doesn’t have to define someone, as Hondo learned in S.W.A.T. Season 8.
Hondo had a rocky past, and his cousin, Andre, has too. It’s time for him to help this new generation realize they can be more than what others say or think.
With S.W.A.T. Exiles Season 2 already confirmed — by Sony, but not by STARZ just yet — it’s time to dive into this spinoff series without worrying about the deep abyss of cliffhangers.
My only hope is that the first episode delves into why Hondo is considered disgraced, because the S.W.A.T. Series Finale did not end with a hint that could happen.
I’ll be covering S.W.A.T. Exiles with reviews and opinion pieces throughout this season after being a Day One S.W.A.T. fan.
I hope you join me in the adventure!
S.W.A.T. Exiles premieres on Friday, September 25, on STARZ, with new episodes dropping weekly.
What do you take away from the trailer — I want to know what I missed!
We all miss something. The fun of trailers is that there’s so much to break down and tease. So, drop your thoughts, your feelings, and what you’re excited about as we get into the next generation of characters.
-
From the moment S.W.A.T. Exiles was announced, it felt like a Suicide Squad-esque story. The first trailer hints at more of that.
-
S.W.A.T. is not returning to CBS, but S.W.A.T. Exiles — a new spinoff — has landed a fall premiere date. Let’s discuss all the details.
-
S.W.A.T. Exiles may have won over wary viewers and secured a win with key casting and playing the long game!