Jay Harrington & Patrick St. Esprit Join ‘S.W.A.T. Exiles’ Pilot

Jay Harrington and Patrick St. Esprit are set to reprise their original roles from CBS’ S.W.A.T. in the show’s spinoff series S.W.A.T. Exiles, reteaming with Shemar Moore in the pilot episode. Harrington and St. Esprit played Sergeant David ‘Deacon’ Kay and Commander Robert Hicks, respectively, in the mothership series.

The news will be a welcome surprise for fans, who have been heartbroken and outspoken since their early exits from S.W.A.T., and learning later from Harrington that he was unaware of the offshoot until a day before the media announcement, when Moore texted him.

When asked if he would be interested in coming back for the spinoff, he said, “You know, you never say never, you never close any doors. I’d be interested to see if that’s the direction they go, and ‘How do they do that?’ That would certainly play a part. I’ve also had a great time directing over the years, and I’ll be open to that possibility if that call [to direct] comes as well. You never say never.”

Sony Pictures TV boss Katherine Pope, around the time of the fan backlash, teased that franchise favorites could return in Exiles.

Whether Harrington and St. Esprit will appear in further episodes remains unclear.

Exiles is set after a high-profile mission goes sideways, pulling Sgt. Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson (Moore) out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental S.W.A.T. unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits.

Production is set to begin later this month in Los Angeles, preserving jobs for the 200-person local production crew that has been instrumental to the success of the original series for the last eight seasons, according to a release from Sony.

Jason Ning serves as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Film, as well as Moore, James Scura, and Jon Cowan. Sony Pictures Television produces and distributes the 10-episode series globally. No current network or streamer has been announced for the U.S. or other territories.

Harrington is best known for his roles in S.W.A.T. and as Ted Crisp in Victor Fresco’s comedy series Better Off Ted. He can previously be seen recurring in ABC’s Desperate Housewives and the medical drama series Private Practice, as well as CBS’ Code Black. In addition to his television work, Harrington has made appearances in feature films American Reunion and High Low Forty. He is repped by UTA, A Management Company, and Brecheen Feldman Breimer.

St. Esprit has recurred on TV shows including The Shield, Saving Grace, Chicago Code, Revolution, Scandal, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS: LA, Narcos, Ballers, and Unsolved. On the feature side, his credits include United 93, Green Zone, We Were Soldiers, HBO’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Smokin’ Aces, Super 8, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Last of Robin Hood, Draft Day, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence, War Dogs, and The Fate of the Furious. He is repped by Justice & Ponder.