S.W.A.T. Exiles Boss Unpacks Hondo's Biggest Losses In Starz Spin-Off Premiere: 'He's Been Through Hell' (Grade It)

It's been just over a year since "S.W.A.T." ended its eight-season run on CBS, and Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson has not been enjoying his hiatus. As we learn in the series premiere of the Starz spin-off "S.W.A.T. Exiles," Shemar Moore's character has undergone a life-altering ordeal, losing everything and everyone he cares about in the process.

"What excited me was that [Moore] really embraced the idea of playing a different Hondo," showrunner Jason Ning tells TVLine. "He's been through hell, he's lost people, so we really wanted to start him in a different place. Part of doing that meant there were events that occurred in the run-up to the new show that affected him, that made him angry and bitter and wounded at the beginning. That's the emotional propulsion that's carrying him through the season."

We learn in Episode 1 — which is currently available on the Starz app, and will air on Starz tonight at 10/9c — that Hondo blames himself for the death of Nico, a young man who apparently died during a mission gone wrong. The only officer who didn't turn off his body camera, Hondo supposedly leaked footage from the mission, resulting in his dismissal from S.W.A.T. In the premiere, Hondo reluctantly agrees to lead a new team of misfit recruits, causing him to suspect that someone on the inside is setting him up to fail.

"I wasn't interested in making Season 9 of 'S.W.A.T.,' because there are eight seasons of the show already that have been done incredibly successfully already on CBS," Ning says. "For me, there had to be a reason for a new iteration of the show to exist, so I only wanted to do it if you could honor the original show and what people loved about 'S.W.A.T.' while taking it genuinely somewhere new."

Read on for more of Ning's thoughts on the "S.W.A.T. Exiles" premiere's biggest surprises, including the return of several familiar faces, the reveal of a mole in the squad, and the story behind (gasp!) Hondo's apparent divorce from Nichelle.

A new squad means new members, and "Exiles" has assembled an eclectic group of characters, each of whom fit the show's title for one reason or another.

"All of the characters have been exiled in a way," Jason Ning tells TVLine of the new recruits. "They've all been discounted for their own reasons. I didn't want five different versions of a young rookie; they each represent completely different reasons why somebody dismissed or discounted them."

Roll call! The new squad includes Jude Callan (Ronen Rubenstein), who still wears the scars of a previous undercover mission; Ethan Cole (Freddy Miyares), a tactical expert who relates to his drones arguably better than he relates to other humans; Cassidy Han (Zyra Gorecki), whose prosthetic leg only makes her determination and execution more impressive; Samantha Bishop (Lucy Barrett), an influencer determined to prove that "girls like her" belong in the field; and Malik Henderson (Adain Bradley), who butts heads with Hondo more than anyone else. More on that last one later.

Much of Hondo's conflict with his new team is how he relates — or fails to relate — to them on a generational level. Hondo is "coming in with his own ideas about leadership and how he thinks it should be handled," Ning says.

"Around the time [I was developing 'Exiles'], I read an article about how Navy SEALs were having a hard time integrating Gen Z into the ranks, and I was like, 'Wow, that's an amazing conflict to build a show around,'" Ning says. "You have a whole generation with a different relationship to authority and hierarchy, and even the idea of service. I thought about what happens when Gen Z lands on Hondo's doorstep, and that felt like an amazing source of conflict. Then I married that idea with something I've always loved, which is underdog stories."

Hondo's losses extend far beyond his duties with S.W.A.T. Not only did he lose his beloved mother, but as we can deduce from the empty child's room and the chart reading "Vivienne's Days With Daddy," we also learn that Hondo is now divorced from Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes), whom he married sometime between Seasons 6 and 7 of "S.W.A.T." 

The premiere doesn't get into the "why" of Hondo and Nichelle's split, but as Ning assures us, "We absolutely unpack what happened and the layers of that. There's a bit of a conspiracy involved, so we do learn more about that."

On the topic of cast members returning (or not returning) from the original "S.W.A.T.," Jason Ning tells TVLine, "It was initially important to make [the spin-off] feel like a different show. If we had a bunch of the original cast, it would just feel like Season 9 of 'S.W.A.T.' It was very important for us to create its own identity."

"That said, we want to honor the original show as many ways as we can, and part of that is asking if there are opportunities for OG cast members to show up in really cool cameo instances," Ning says, adding that there's always a reason for each return. "We really looked for ways to bring an OG cast member back and make it essential to the story."

Two of those cameos occur in the series premiere, beginning with Commander Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit), the man solely responsible for roping Hondo back into the S.W.A.T. program. And when Hondo finds himself at a particularly low point, he turns to his old teammate Deacon (Jay Harrington), who encourages Hondo to press on. "Here you are, still standing," Deacon tells him. "You're not done yet."

The good news is that more cameos from familiar faces are on the way, including Victor Tam (David Lim), who is reportedly making an appearance towards the end of the first season.

"Fans of the original show will be very happy and surprised when those cool moments do happen," Ning teases. "And there are a couple of times that'll happen throughout the season."

The overarching mystery of "S.W.A.T. Exiles" Season 1 is which nefarious figure is working behind the scenes to take Hondo down, and we get a pretty big clue in the series premiere, which ends with Malik meeting a mysterious woman to discuss his new squad leader.

"Hondo doesn't deserve the badge or the command," Malik says while looking at a set of top-secret files. "I'm going to make sure the whole world knows it." That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the 44 Squad's mole has already been identified. But what is Malik's deal? What's his personal stake in Hondo's downfall? Those answers will come in due time, according to Jason Ning.

"We're going to find out why he's doing it," Ning promises TVLine. "The goal, if we've done our job right, is that the audience might not agree with it, but they will understand and relate. There are good reasons for him doing what he's doing."

OK, let's talk: Did you enjoy your first mission with "S.W.A.T. Exiles"? Which familiar faces were you most excited to see, and which developments in Hondo's life (divorce?!) surprised you the most? Who's your favorite new squad members thus far? Grade the premiere in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full review.