Criminal Minds fans are still missing Shemar Moore’s character, Derek Morgan, but there is good news out for those who would like to see the actor in a new project. Shemar had been teasing his followers that he would have some big news to share soon, and some wondered if he might be doing a project like joining Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars or something like that. The news is out now, and this is an exciting development for the former Young and Restless star.
According to Deadline , Shemar Moore will be leading his own series that will air on CBS. The new show will be called S.W.A.T. , and it is inspired by the movie of the same name that starred Samuel L. Jackson and a host of other hot actors that was in theaters just over a decade ago.
Moore, who left Criminal Minds last year after 11 seasons and who previously played Malcolm Winters on Young and Restless for about a decade, will play the central role of S.W.A.T. lieutenant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. The character is stuck in a complicated dynamic of trying to run the S.W.A.T. unit and stay loyal to those on the streets. Adding to the complexity of the new position he holds, Harrelson is unhappy with the reason he ended up in the leadership role, but he is a man who is both calm and ready for a mission.
The former Criminal Minds actor will also be a producer on the new CBS project that is inspired by the 2003 film, which itself was inspired by a 1975 ABC show put together by Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling. Variety notes that the new series will also star Stephanie Sigman, who became a hot commodity after her role in the 2015 film Spectre with Daniel Craig. People may also recognize her from other roles in shows like Narcos on Netflix or ABC’s American Crime .
Shemar has been teasing fans via social media for a while now, and everybody has been chomping at the bit to get the big reveal. Moore teased that something new was coming, and the speculation was getting intense. The timing of the actor’s posts about a secret put him on the list of rumors and speculation for Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars , although he always seemed like a longshot. As the wait drove his followers a bit crazy, the former Criminal Minds and Young and Restless actor started to share videos excluding many of the possibilities that his supporters were guessing.
Of course, fans of Young and Restless would love to see Shemar return as Malcolm Winters, as the Winters family could certainly use the support, and the actor has made some brief reappearances in the role over the years. Some wondered if it might be possible for him to return to Criminal Minds , especially since the buzz was that Moore and former castmate Thomas Gibson had a tense working relationship, and Gibson has since been fired from the series.
As much as fans of Criminal Minds and Young and Restless might have been hoping that Shemar would return to one of his former homes, the news that he’s headlining a new CBS project is even more exciting. This is not the first time in recent history that CBS has taken a departing series regular and created a new home for them on another show of their own. Michael Weatherly left NCIS and now stars on Bull , and Alan Cumming has gone from The Good Wife to Instinct . There’s also Christine Baranski’s spinoff The Good Fight , which airs exclusively on CBS All Access and continues the character she originated on The Good Wife .
The new S.W.A.T. series is still in its early stages, but CBS has ordered a pilot episode. Who else will star in the show alongside Moore and when can everybody check it out? More details will soon emerge on that front, but at least now Criminal Minds and Young and Restless fans know just what that big secret is that Shemar Moore has been teasing for the past few weeks. Will you be checking out his new show when it begins to air?
[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]