S.W.A.T. Exiles on Starz is “upping the level” of “grit” and “how it looks” in comparison to the eight-season-long CBS procedural, and Shemar Moore is still encouraging fans to “roll S.W.A.T.”

As Moore detailed to us during a recent visit to DECIDER’s studio, the new sequel series picks up two years after S.W.A.T. left off, and finds Moore’s Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson “exiled from the system.”

“He got set up for a mission gone bad, and he lost a young cadet that he believed in, who he felt like he was a mentor to,” he explained, referring to the loss of Nico Reyes (Alejandro Akara), who we learn about through flashbacks in S.W.A.T. Exiles Episode 1, “Clean Entry.” “He feels a lot of guilt that he wasn’t there to save him, and then got outed for his demise.”

The new series manages to bridge the gap between Moore’s work on what he calls “the Mothership” by reuniting fans with another familiar face. Patrick St. Esprit’s Robert Hicks, Hondo’s former commander, makes an appearance in S.W.AT. Exiles‘ debut, offering for Hondo to return to a new iteration of S.W.A.T. and to lead a new group of recruits. As Moore noted, Hicks is “a big factor in the transition of what Hondo has to go through in this new version of S.W.A.T.,” and insisted that this expansion of the S.W.A.T. universe is not a “full departure from the old show.”

“Even though it’s two years later, what I love is that this version of S.W.A.T. doesn’t let go of the history of what we know,” he explained. “This is just the evolution, this is just a new day of what’s happened. So nobody’s dead as far as the heroes that you remember.”

Moore also teased cameos from Jay Harrington‘s David “Deacon” Kay and David Lim’s Victor Tan. As for the fresh faces that comprise the new 44 Squad—Sammy (Lucy Barrett), Cassidy (Zyra Gorecki), Malik (Adain Bradley), Ethan (Freddy Miyares), and Jude (Ronen Rubenstein)—Moore said each of the five actors are “so interesting and they’re so different,” both on and offscreen.

“Everybody’s unique and they are a good time But they are Gen Z to a tilt,” he teased, admitting that he’s been called the likes of “pops,” “old head,” “unc,” and “coach” on set.

Acknowledging that “there’s a lot of similarities” yet also “differences” between S.W.A.T. and S.W.A.T. Exiles, one of which is the primarily new cast, Moore was passionate about the fact that “you get to know” these characters, including Hondo, in an even deeper way.

“I think you’ll enjoy the thrill ride, but there’s a lot of character development in this version of S.W.A.T. There’s a lot of layers to the onion, so you’re going to learn about the characters of these people, besides the badge and the superhero suits,” he elaborated. “Even Hondo, even though you feel like you’ve known Hondo for eight years. You’re gonna see a human, [the[ empathetic side, [yet] still that heroic, badass side. But I like that we’re not so perfect.”

With respect to Hondo’s story, Moore—who is also an executive producer on S.W.A.T. Exiles—wanted his beloved, rough-around-the-edges character to “be a little more layered” this time around.

“Just being the guy who shows up and chases the bad guys and beats up the bad guys, that’s fun. It’s a good time. But it’s kind of one-dimensional,” he shared. “I wanted him to have a little more internal struggle to get the prize of joy and happiness and heart and love.”

This struggle is apparent from some of the very first moments of S.W.A.T. Exiles Episode 1, where viewers learn that Hondo has since been divorced, has a daughter named Vivienne, and has lost his mother. According to Moore, “art imitates life a lot of the time,” including in some of the ways Hondo’s backstory has mimicked his own. Though Moore is not a Marine and doesn’t “have kills,” he cited some of the similarities between his and Hondo’s stories.

“Hondo’s from South L.A., Shemar’s Moore’s from East Oakland. I know what it is to come out of the hood, and see the world and expand myself, but always feel the need to stay true, and the honor of staying true to where you came from and trying to find that balance,” he said.

Moore also opened up about the passing of his own mother, who was his “best friend” and his “purpose,” and also shared about his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Frankie, who he called “his whole life” and “the rest of [his] life.”

“My mother was my everything. She was the person I wanted to make proud every day and I still fight to make her proud. I know she’s watching over me, but now I got this little girl [and] I need to be the best version of myself for her, to show her how cool daddy is,” he continued. “And not just because I’m on TV, but just as a person, as a man, I wanr to show her the world, and I want to show her what’s possible. So I take those elements of my own life, my own experience, and I give that as much as I can, whether it’s in the writing or just in Hondo’s being.”

Of course, S.W.A.T. Exiles still holds on to its “signature of super cops chasing bad guys,” per Moore, but as he commends the new series for, it boasts “this heart and character element to where you really get endeared and engaged, and learn on a deeper level [about] the characters of who we’re playing.”

New episodes of S.W.A.T. Exiles air on Starz on Fridays. The first three episodes are streaming now.