SWAT's Best Character Dynamic Can Officially Return Almost 10 Years Later

As the premiere of SWAT Exiles grows closer, one of the wishlist items for the upcoming Starz series includes the return of SWAT's best storyline from the original show, updated and renewed a decade later. Throughout the run of SWAT, one of the biggest through lines became the assertion that Twenty Squad was more than a team – they were a family. Under the leadership of Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Shemar Moore), the officers who made up Twenty Squad were able to connect in ways that other teams at the LAPD SWAT unit couldn't, practically reading each other's minds in moments.

While the cast of SWAT changed from time to time, the original group of officers that brought the series to life were some of the most interesting characters of the show's run. When Hondo began his time as the leader of Twenty Squad, the team consisted of David "Deacon" Kay (Jay Harrington), Jim Street (Alex Russell), Chris Alonso (Lina Esco), Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson), and Victor Tan (David Lim). Each member of the team had their own dynamics, but one of the best blossomed throughout the series' run as Twenty Squad grew closer and learned to rely on each other.

Despite Street, who joined Twenty Squad at the beginning of SWAT after transferring from Long Beach, being a new member of Twenty Squad's, his relationship with Chris is one of SWAT's most iconic. The pair's dynamic is something SWAT Exiles has the opportunity to recreate in a whole new way.

SWAT's Best Era Hung On The Tension Between Chris & Street

As SWAT got started, Street felt like he was going to be a problem for Hondo and the rest of Twenty Squad. While he was a quick thinker and a capable officer, Street didn't always have the right level of discipline for his work as a SWAT officer. Finding creative ways to get things done and making a mess for himself, Street wound up falling into step with Chris, who was trying to ensure that her reputation as the only female officer on the squad didn't get tarnished with the inclusion of the new perceived bad boy.

While romance started slow, Chris and Street developed a close bond quickly, their friendship brimming with chemistry from episode to episode. By SWAT season 2, the pair shared a drunken kiss that led to them both denying their romantic feelings for each other, desperate to just stay friends. As the series went on and both pursued other relationships, Street and Chris were always finding each other in their best moments along with their darkest. Finally, as Chris prepared to leave Twenty Squad and the LAPD to begin working in immigration, Street and Chris confessed their long-harbored feelings for one another.

Esco left SWAT after its fifth season, but the following season saw Russell still on the show, and Street often gave small updates about Chris and their new, happy relationship to the rest of the team throughout SWAT season 6. The early days of their relationship, however, which saw a push and pull between the partners that made for incredible tension, and a connection that proved they could understand each other without words, were easily the best of SWAT. The pair's dynamic made for an intensity that the rest of the show's characters simply couldn't capture.

SWAT Exiles' Premise Practically Promises A Similarly Exciting Dynamic

Although not much is known about the interpersonal connections to come on SWAT Exiles, the Starz series has the chance to do something juicy with its new group of officers. Because SWAT Exiles is bringing in a whole new group of recruits who have previously struggled, the stakes have never been higher for the officers to succeed. On top of that, Hondo coming out of forced retirement to train them makes it clear that there are already barriers in place for the new team, ones that will need to be broken down with communication and cohesion from the group.

The intensity of SWAT Exiles' premise practically promises a dynamic similar to Chris and Street's, wherein two of the officers on the new squad are able to connect easily and intensely, but have to push aside the personal part of their relationship to remain professional in their work. With SWAT Exiles' officers being the most difficult trainees, it's likely they'll push boundaries wherever they are, including each other's buttons. SWAT may be able to have its second life find a whole new version of the show's best relationship, and the reboot would be infinitely better for it.