S.W.A.T. star David Lim may be grateful for his time on the FBI procedural, but that doesn’t make the recent announcement of the new spinoff “sting” any less.
Lim, 41, played Officer Victor Tan across the show’s entire eight-season run, which was led by Shemar Moore’s Lieutenant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson and followed his highly trained Los Angeles police unit. In March, after being saved twice from two separate cancellation threats in 2023 and 2024, the series was officially canceled, with the series finale airing May 16.
Within days of the show’s final premiere, CBS announced it had a spinoff planned, titled S.W.A.T. EXILES. Moore is the only cast member who’s been confirmed to return.
Addressing the news in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, Lim admitted: “I’d be lying if I said the rollout of the new spinoff didn’t sting. It was tough to see it announced just two days after our finale — with no mention of the cast who helped build S.W.A.T. from day one. After 8 incredible seasons, it felt like we were brushed aside when there could’ve been a moment of reflection and recognition — for the people who built this show, and for the impact it had on so many.”
Going on to thank fans for the “comments, the messages, the support,” he added: “I may not know what the future holds for Tan, but I couldn’t be more proud of what we created together —our cast, writers, producers, crew… our SWAT family. No version of this story can take that away.”
He further reflected on his time on the show, calling it “one of the greatest honors of my life.”
“I poured my heart into playing Tan — and even more than that, into the team and friendships we built on and off screen,” he wrote.
“What made S.W.A.T. special wasn’t just the action, or one character. It was the squad. The bond. The camaraderie. The shared blood, sweat, tears, and laughs we gave to every episode. That effortless chemistry was there from the very first day we came together for the pilot, and it carried through all 8 seasons.”
Lim continued: “I’m proud of how we fought for a ninth season. We believed we still had more to give, more stories to tell. We wanted it for our crew, for each other, and for the newer faces just joining us. It wasn’t in the cards for all of us — and that’s okay. We had a magical run and went out on a high note with those final two episodes.”
While Moore is the only returning cast member confirmed at the moment, Sony Pictures TV Studios President Katherine Pope teased that fans can likely “expect some of your favorites to be a part of it in some way.”
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“There is a clear world that we’re exploring here. We’re a few weeks in. We’re still putting it all together,” she told Variety last week.
S.W.A.T. ran on CBS from 2017 to 2025. The network first decided to axe the show in 2023, before reversing the decision and renewing it for a seventh season.
Then, midway through its seventh season, the network revealed it would be canceling the show. The announcement, however, led to fan outcry, which ultimately saved the show again for its eighth and final season.
