*Shemar Moore is leading the “reinvention” of the 1970s television series and 2003 film, “S.W.A.T.,” which centers on a Special Weapons and Tactics team. The series premiers Nov. 2, and is billed as a “realistic and sensitive look at the brave men and women” of the L.A.P.D. Metro S.W.A.T. team.
Moore plays the head of a specialized tactical police unit and during a recent screening in New Orleans of the first episode, he explained that the series will explore Trump-era issues.
“We’ve got the same name and we’ve got the theme song…. but it’s the Trump years. It’s not about Trump. It’s not about politics. But we’re going to surprise you, because we’re talking about what’s going on in real life: Black Lives Matter, terrorism issues, race issues, you know, blue vs. civilians,” he said.
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“We want to bring some humanity to what’s going on,” Moore says, before bringing up the breaking news of that day — violence sparked by a rally by white supremacists and neo-Nazis that left a counterprotester dead and 19 injured.”
“Look at what’s happening in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s a big standoff. Just in L.A. this week while we were working, there were three different standoffs [with] S.W.A.T.,” the actor says.
“Can we bridge the gap? Can we get people to exhale a little bit? Can we create a conversation? Can we create a little more attempt at unity?” he asks. “We’re all human, and I don’t care what color we are, I don’t care what gender we are. I don’t care about none of that. Let’s just try to have a little more patience with one another. With ‘S.W.A.T.’ hopefully, we’ll plant those seeds of compassion.”
As noted by the Chicago Sun Times, “the one-hour series follows ex-Marine Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Moore) as he is promoted to leader of his own S.W.A.T. team following the accidental shooting of an innocent teenager by a S.W.A.T. officer. With the city on edge, the lifelong resident of South L.A. finds himself torn between his colleagues and his civilian neighbors, and has to find a way to bridge those worlds and bring a deadly crew of anarchists to justice before the city implodes.”
“We have a good cast. Our executive producer is Shawn Ryan, who produced ‘The Shield,’ ‘The Unit.’ He’s done all kinds of amazing things. Also, Justin Lin, of ‘Fast and Furious’ and others. … It’s not to say that it’s never been done. I mean, ‘Hill Street Blues’ was a great show, ‘The Unit,’ ‘The Shield,’ ’24’ with Kiefer Sutherland. There’s been some very great shows. But this one showcases diversity: Diversity in storytelling. Diversity in the faces you see on the screen. And diversity in the content of the stories that we’re telling,” Moore said.
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