“It’s not going to be an easy ride and there’s a lot of surprises,” Moore said about the final season of the show
S.W.A.T. star Shemar Moore is calling Season 7 of the show, set to be the final 13 episodes of the series, the most “emotional” season yet for Hondo.
When is S.W.A.T. Season 7 coming out: Premieres Feb. 16 at 8:00 p.m.
Where to watch S.W.A.T.: CBS and Paramount+ in the U.S., Global and STACKTV in Canada
Cast: Shemar Moore, David Lim, Kenny Johnson, Jay Harrington, Patrick St. Esprit, Alex Russell, Rochelle Aytes
Number of episodes: 13
The Season 7 premiere episode takes us to Mexico City, where a fugitive is set to be escorted back to the U.S., but Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Moore) is faced with a promise he made 10 years ago.
“We’re in Mexico City and we come out of the gate, there’s no buildup, it’s full on,” Moore told Yahoo Canada. “We go back down memory lane to a promise that Hondo made and what I like about that, without giving it away, Hondo’s character is tested from the beginning and then you’re going to feel that through all the episodes of the season.”
“Hondo’s trying to do right by this young beautiful lady, Pia, whose mother was in jeopardy and Hondo feels responsible for that, in a way, and how can you do right by this young girl so that she can have peace in her life. So I love that we’re in this thrill ride, but we have those elements of humanity laced into the show. So you have fun with us but we also give you something to feel.”
Looking ahead in Season 7, S.W.A.T. is set to really push and test each member of Hondo’s team.
“Hondo and the other team members, … all of us get tested emotionally,” Moore said. “It’s not going to be an easy ride and there’s a lot of surprises.”
“There’s some kryptonite. There’s some controversy. Some big things happen that are going to move the audience emotionally, which allows us to be able to bring those emotions. Sadness, anger, joy, camaraderie, brotherhood, but you get the signature action.”
‘We don’t need the big Hallmark wedding’
As every fan will remember from Season 6 of S.W.A.T., the season ended with Hondo proposing to Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes), but when we start Season 7, the wedding has already taken place.
“I sat with producers, I said, ‘Let’s not make a meal out of a wedding,'” Moore said. “The audience gets it. Let Hondo and Nichelle play to the love, play the family.”
“It’s beautiful. It’s cute. And it’s a softer side the Hondo, but we don’t need the big Hallmark wedding and all that, because I just think that takes away from what we want to accomplish. And what we want to show the fans, and what the fans want to see in the 13 episodes that we have.”
But being able to add that element of Hondo being a father and a husband, with all the action and the thrill of the story, is core to what makes him such an interesting character.
“Playing tough guy, Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson, I’m a little kid in the candy store,” Moore said. “It’s like being a superhero without wearing tights, and I’m glad I don’t have to wear tights.”
‘We have no egos on the set’
Still the heart of S.W.A.T. is this team that has to work together and support each other though incredibly dangerous situations, which will continue to be particularly pivotal in Season 7.
“You’re going to see this year, from Hondo especially, because Hondo’s trying to keep the team together and he’s faced with adversity, big time,” Moore teased. “It looks like things may crumble around him, and he and the team have got to fight to keep it all together.”
The actor also stressed that while he’s the lead of the show, the camaraderie and collaboration in the cast is critical.
“If I’m the Tom Brady of S.W.A.T., and those are big shoes right there, but I need my team. I’m proud of my team,” Moore said. “All the actors, we know how blessed we are. None of us take it for granted. We have no egos on the set.”
“The producers, actors, caterers, teamsters, props, we horse around, we joke with each other, we pull gags on each other, but when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. And we love doing it because, come on, we blow stuff up. We have car chases. We have motorcycle chases. We get to fight. … But the camaraderie you see on the screen is how we get along in real life. They all come to my house and we play corn hole, swimming, and play basketball, barbecue. We just watched the Super Bowl together. So that camaraderie is what extends onto the screen.”
The end of ‘S.W.A.T.’: ‘I dare you to turn me off’
With Season 7 set to be the end of S.W.A.T., the show continues to be incredibly popular, amassing a large and committed group of fans.
Moore is still optimistic that there may be an opportunity to continue to play Hondo, but ultimately, the actor is incredibly proud of what has been accomplished on this show.
“I’m very excited about the way we started this Season 7 and the 13 episodes that we’ve been blessed to give, because allegedly, this is our final season and if that’s true it’s a little bittersweet, but so grateful and so proud of what we’ve accomplished in the show that the world has embraced,” Moore said. “By the time you get to the end, Hondo’s going to stand there proud, and if it’s goodbye, he’s going to salute and say thank you, or he’s going to stand there and say, ‘I dare you to turn me off.'”
“I’m a very optimistic person. So if this is indeed our final run, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. And I say thank you to the fans. I say thank you to CBS and Sony. This has been like making an action movie for TV. I mean, obviously I’m biased, but this is one of the funnest jobs you could ever have on television being an actor. But in this game of Hollywood, numbers talk. I make the joke all the time, … if my knees hold up, I’m not done being badass Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson.”
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