According to Deadline, Sony Pictures Television is still weighing whether any other S.W.A.T. stars will join the spinoff series. After its third cancellation, CBS announced Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds, The Young and the Restless) would reprise his role as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson in Exiles, a surprise spinoff announced in late May at the LA Screenings. The ten-episode series will launch without a traditional broadcast partner, the result of what insiders describe as a “frantic” deal-making process.

Fans and cast alike were caught off guard by the announcement, especially after learning Moore is the only original series star set to return, according to Deadline. The news disappointed viewers and prompted mixed reactions from fellow cast members Jay Harrington (Better Off Ted, Desperate Housewives) and David Lim (Quantico, Hollywood Heights).

“It stung,” said Harrington, who played Sgt. David ‘Deacon’ Kay on the original series, via Deadline. Lim, who portrayed Officer Victor Tan, echoed the sentiment.

According to Deadline, behind the scenes, Sony executives remain optimistic. Keith LeGoy, Chairman of Sony Pictures Television, addressed the spinoff’s unconventional path during a panel at the Banff TV Festival.

“There is a S.W.A.T family and that family is important,” LeGoy said via Deadline. “We would love to have other family members involved in some way, whether it’s all of them all of the time, some of them some of the time, or something in between. That’s something that we are still figuring out.”

Deadline states the project is being positioned for global appeal, with Sony viewing it more like a feature film than a traditional series. While no broadcaster is currently attached, the company may sell the show to a global streaming platform or distribute it territory by territory, including in the U.S.

LeGoy emphasized the importance of creative risk-taking in today’s television landscape. He said the company is embracing uncertainty in pursuit of bold storytelling and international reach.

“Is there risk? Yes. Did we acknowledge that risk and then kind of embrace it? Yeah. This business was founded 100 and something years ago, on people taking risks on their creative judgment, and on their kind of ability to finance their creative vision in whatever way,” LeRoy continued via Deadline. “I think sometimes we’ve gotten a little too risk averse in this business, we’ve got a little too fear based, and sometimes you need to run towards something which is a little bit scary. But, to be honest, we’re much more excited by the opportunity than we are scared of the risk.”