Jay Harrington Talks Putting Hondo's Life in Jeopardy on 'S.W.A.T.' 150th Episode (Exclusive)

When S.W.A.T. returns from its midseason hiatus in its new 10 p.m. timeslot, it will celebrate its 150^th episode with a Shemar Moore-centric installment, “Open Season,” in which 20-Squad must race to uncover a dangerous enemy intent on revenge. And to make it even more special of an event, the episode was directed by Jay Harrington, who stars as David “Deacon” Kay, with a script by Charlie Haddaway, a former PA on the CBS/Sony Pictures Television series.

“When I found out I was working with Charlie, I was excited," Harrington tells Parade. "But then I later found out it was going to be the 150th episode and I just thought, ‘What a great story that is in and of itself that someone who used to be the kid that knocked on the trailer door to say 'It’s time to go, they’re ready for you' has delivered this script.’”

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What makes “Open Season” a special event is the action starts from the first minute and goes all the way through Act 1. A normal script, on the other hand, is action-packed in the teaser, and then things settle down for the start of Act 1.

“The way he crafted it, it really doesn’t stop moving.” Harrington says. “So, that was an interesting difference from what we normally do, which allowed me to have some different uses of the cameras than we do and to see some of our characters in a little bit more vulnerable position than they normally are, specifically [Hondo].”

This episode opens with Hondo (Moore) at home when the doorbell rings and immediately he is put in jeopardy and decides he has to get to SWAT headquarters, but that's easier said then done as deadly obstacles are put in his way.

“Hondo is, for lack of a better term, vulnerable,” Harrington continues. “He’s on the run, and we don’t get to see him like that often. It’s always sort of the flip side of that. So, to see him being hunted was really a great turn for his character because that plays throughout the episode until the moment comes when he can come back and be Hondo. It was a great, great arc for him.”

Related: David Lim on How S.W.A.T. Works to Keep It Real and Authentic (Exclusive)

Deacon also has his own storyline taking place. Fans will remember that when Deacon retired, he turned over SWAT Academy to Victor Tan (David Lim). And when Deacon unretired, he didn’t take SWAT Academy back, as he still had the issue with needing to be home more so his wife Annie (Bre Blair) could keep her new job. But now he seems to be having second thoughts about how Tan is handling the recruits, including Deacon’s former partner Dobes (Emerson Brooks).

“Second thoughts are starting to creep in for sure,” Harrington says. “Being a guy of his word, he did hand this off to a capable officer. He wanted to build Tan up and let him know that he’s ready for this. But as we see in the future episodes, doubt creeps into Deacon’s head even more.”

You can watch the scene play out in an exclusive sneak peek below.

Related: Watch S.W.A.T. Star Shemar Moore's Heartwarming Video of His Real-Life Baby Girl

Another familial surprise in the episode is that Harrington’s brother Matthew, who has worked on the show for the past eight years as his stand-in double was given a small role.

“There was an officer in the script that had no lines,” Harrington explains. “It was just Deacon approaching the officer asking, ‘Any word from Hondo? And it said, ‘Officer nods.’ I went to our showrunner, Andy Dettmann, and I said ‘Hey, what do you think about using my brother?’ And he said ‘I love it. Let’s do it.’”

As previously mentioned, “Open Season” is the 150th episode of S.W.A.T., which is currently in its eighth season and the second-longest-running drama on CBS. With hopes of getting a pickup for a ninth season, the writers had a plan.

“They have done a really great job of integrating our new team members and letting the audience get to know them,” Harrington says. “Not that David, Patrick (St. Espirit), Shemar and I take a back seat, but there’s more focus on them. It’s important to get the audience to really appreciate them. I get missing Alex (Russell), Lena (Esco) and Kenny Johnson. I miss them, too. As a viewer, you get so accustomed to your show, and then it changes. But I feel like we’ve done a good job of that, and that will be key to the success of going forward.”

S.W.A.T. returns in its new 10 p.m. ET/PT timeslot tonight on CBS. Episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.

Next, S.W.A.T. Shakes Up the Cast When It Returns for Season 8