Throughout the original SWAT series, Shemar Moore's Hondo reported to Patrick St Espirit's Bob Hicks, but now that he is returning in SWAT: Exiles, he has a new commander to contend with.
While Espirit does make appearances as Hicks, the sequel series introduces Commander Angela Pike, a new figure of authority and apparent antagonist to Hondo, played by Being Human and Black Mirror star Lenora Crichlow.
Radio Times spoke with Moore exclusively about the series, and when asked about this new addition, the star said that in real life, Crichlow is "a doll" and "so incredibly talented".
"She's such a sweet lady, and she's got that phenomenal accent, so sexy and so eloquent," he added. "She's a joy. She's funny, she's smart, but on camera, I don't know if I can say this, she plays one incredible b****."
Describing Crichlow's character, Moore said: "She's hard nosed, she takes no stuff, and it's an interesting dynamic because Hondo doesn't know what to do with her. And her introduction in episode two, her introduction is one of the greatest introductions. Hondo's walking down the hall and hears rap music blaring from an office. Like, 'What is this? Obviously this is not allowed.' He's going to shut it down.
"He goes in to see what it's all about and realises he's got a new captain who's got her feet up on the table, munching on Doritos. She's got a - not a sweet tooth - but she's got a snack tooth. So her character is constantly eating pretzels or Doritos or something.
"So she's very unpredictable and hard to figure out, and hard-nosed, and Hondo feels that she's part of the problem, that she's the reason he was cast aside in the first place, and now that he's back, she's going to make sure that he fails. So Hondo really is a man on an island and does not know who to trust and even his own captain, he feels, is trying to take him down."
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
SWAT: Exiles sees Hondo returning from enforced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits.
Continuing Moore said that Hondo and Pike are in a "chess game", because "she don't take no mess and she stands her ground, and Hondo don't take no mess and he stands his ground. And it's basically who's going to bend first".
"And through the episodes, we'll see if Hondo's going to fall to her demise, or if Hondo can fight for his dignity and fight for his respect and fight to showcase the truth," he said. "And that's a slow burn. That's an evolution of these characters getting to understand each other and finding mutual respect."
Also new to the cast for SWAT: Exiles are Ronen Rubinstein, Freddy Miyares, Zyra Gorecki, Lucy Barrett and Adain Bradley.
SWAT: Exiles launches on 8 November on Sky One and NOW. You can sign up to NOW from £4.99 a month.
Add SWAT: Exiles to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to .