‘S.W.A.T.’ Ups Niko Pepaj To Series Regular; Adds Annie Ilonzeh To Season 8

Rosy Cordero
·3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Niko Pepaj will kick off Season 8 of CBS’ S.W.A.T. on October 18 with a promotion. Returning as Officer Miguel Alfaro, Pepaj has been upgraded to a series regular fulfilling his character’s wish to be a permanent member of 20 Squad.

Additionally, the new season will welcome Annie Ilonzeh into the fold in the role of Devin Gamble in a recurring capacity.

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Inspired by the television series and the feature film, S.W.A.T. follows former Marine and locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore) who is tasked with running a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue, Hondo strives to bridge the divide between his two worlds.

Gamble was born into an L.A. family deeply entrenched in crime, leaving her with a fierce determination to break free of her blood legacy. She thought she’d achieved that, becoming a standout as an LAPD rookie… until her father’s arrest for a heinous crime cast a shadow Gamble could only escape by leaving LA for the Oakland PD.

Now, a decade later, Hondo brought Gamble back home to become an integral new member of 20-Squad, knowing her inner strength, intuition, and street smarts will make her an invaluable part of the team.

Casting on S.W.A.T. recently underwent a shakeup following the unexpected cancellation and later un-cancellation of the series. Fan favorites Kenny Johnson and Alex Russell said goodbye in the Season 7 finale. Rochelle Aytes, who plays Hondo’s wife Nichelle Carmichael, is expected to return in a smaller capacity in Season 8 as she has accepted an offer to star opposite Morris Chesnut on the upcoming new series Watson on CBS.

S.W.A.T. also stars Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit and Anna Enger Ritch. Shawn Ryan, Andrew Dettmann, Justin Lin, Neal H. Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart, Moore and James Scura serve as executive producers. The action drama is produced by Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios.

Pepaj joined S.W.A.T. during the show’s sixth season. Previously, he can be seen in ABC’s The Rookie, ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, VH1’s Daytime Divas and Amazon Prime’s Bosch. He is repped by Mosaic and TalentWorks.

Ilonzeh recently appeared in the lead role and served as a producer on the independent film, Soulmates, opposite Charlie Weber. The Dallas native also produced/starred in indie features Vicious Affair, Stepdaughter and Snatched for Tubi through Footage Films. For TV, Ilonzeh portrayed series regular Emily Foster on Dick Wolf’s Chicago Fire on NBC and was the lead in Universal TV’s pilot Getaway for NBC/Universal. Additional credits include the independent spy thriller, Agent Game, the STX feature Peppermint and the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me for Lionsgate. She is repped by IAG and Etcetera and Company.

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