Shemar Moore's S.W.A.T. Spin-Off Series Left Multiple People Furious

Call it the franchise that refuses to die, or simply sit back and marvel at its luck; after previously surviving two other cancelations, the "S.W.A.T." universe's most recent brush with television's grim reaper only lasted a grand total of forty-eight hours. Despite Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Shemar Moore) closing out the series' last episode with the perfect final line, the character will ride on in a brand-new ten-episode sequel spin-off series titled "S.W.A.T.: Exiles." But the decision was made so quickly that a number of people involved in the long-running franchise ended up furious and left out in the cold — including the parent show's writers, directors, and actors. Even CBS brass allegedly found out about the new series via the trades, which has resulted in a lot of hurt feelings and bemusement over the haste with which "Exiles" was greenlit.

Moore apparently took the extra step of calling his fellow cast members to tell them all about what was going down before news broke. That's a pretty brave step for the actor to take, especially because he's the only one who will be featured on the new spin-off. Apparently, some of his former castmates were upset that they've lost their jobs and that Sony Pictures Television didn't bother to tell them what was happening. But at least they were given a heads-up, as many people involved in the success of "S.W.A.T." learned that the franchise would survive without them through the media — and none of them were happy about it.

The deal for "S.W.A.T.: Exiles" apparently came together very quickly because Sony wanted and needed to keep Moore under contract. It also wanted to maintain the show's crew, as well as its soundstage. The hope is to get "S.W.A.T.: Exiles" in front of interested international buyers at the LA Screenings in May and move from there. How quickly did things develop? Apparently, showrunner and co-EP Jason Ning's pitch was pushed through the approval process so quickly that it only took him two weeks to go from idea to deal.

All of the series' writers supposedly found out about the new spin-off through the trades or via the cast. A talent rep speaking to Deadline about the situation called the absence of communication from Sony "a slight," adding that the alleged lack of professionalism wasn't appropriate. Another person speaking to Deadline under the request of anonymity added that it all felt incredibly unusual.

Even though Shemar Moore emphasized his love for the cast in an Instagram post, he also took the time to point out his own worth to the franchise. "I'm not saying I'm Tom Brady but I'm the Tom Brady of 'S.W.A.T.' That's not arrogant. That's not ego, it's a fact," he wrote. "I'm the quarterback [...] I had a strong squad, a family, a team. And I would be remiss If I didn't say out loud to the world and to them — because I know they're watching this – love you, I respect you, I appreciate you."

Virtually any series that goes through a major premise change finds itself in trouble. But "S.W.A.T." survived the loss of multiple cast members over the years, so it's possible that fans will happily accept the notion of the franchise shifting into a students-and-mentors series. If Hondo really is the central, Tom Brady-ish figure of "S.W.A.T.," then the rest of the cast won't be missed for very long. After all, other shows have successfully survived similar changes in the past; "Frasier" is one example of a massively successful spin-off that budded from its own show in a similar (if less controversial) manner.

On the other hand, the S.W.A.T. team being a stand-in family for the rich, personal connections each member of the squad needs is a huge part of what makes the series unique. When the spin-off's "family" is made of an entirely different group of people, will fans be able to attach to the newcomers, or will they end up switching to another show featuring a group of characters that they can follow from the beginning? While plenty of people love Hondo, it might take a miracle to get fans to watch more of his adventures without the cast they already know and love. But then again, the history of "S.W.A.T." is nothing if not miraculous.