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The Real Reason 'S.W.A.T.' Survived Cancelation (Twice) Only To Be Axed Again
It was one of the most popular shows on TV, but CBS has actually canceled S.W.A.T. twice, only to miraculously bring it back. Fans of the action-procedural were shocked the first time it was suddenly canceled after six seasons in 2023, only to be brought back to life days later. Those same fans were downright astonished when the same thing happened all over again in 2024, as S.W.A.T. somehow came back for a surprise Season 8.
So what the heck happened? What saved S.W.A.T. from two consecutive cancelations? The answers are pretty simple: Shemar Moore and good ratings.
That's right, the show's star and its consistent performance in an unpredictable TV landscape kept S.W.A.T. coming back for its seventh and eighth seasons, only for the ax to finally fall on S.W.A.T. in March 2025.
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Why Was 'S.W.A.T.' Canceled In The First Place?
When S.W.A.T. kicked off in 2017, it was already the network TV equivalent of a super group. It's based on the 1975 series of the same name, which starred Steve Forrest as Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, leader of the LAPD's most gung-ho unit. The original only ran two seasons but made a big impression in popular culture, big enough that it spawned a movie in 2003 starring Samuel L. Jackson as Hondo.
Shemar Moore, a veteran of CBS's Criminal Minds, leads this current S.W.A.T. as Hondo, joined by showrunners Andy Dettmann and Shawn Ryan, who redefined cop shows with FX's The Shield in the early 2000s.
With an established title, star, and behind-the-scenes figures, S.W.A.T. cruised along for six seasons, reliably pulling in viewers and building a fanbase until the sudden cancelation in 2023. Why did CBS announce the end of a successful series seemingly everyone just assumed would be back for Season 7? Licensing fees.
S.W.A.T. is produced by CBS and Sony Pictures TV, to whom CBS pays a licensing fee in order to actually air the series. Increasingly, networks like CBS are deciding that these costly licensing deals aren't worthwhile, given cheaper options like reality shows or series with vertically integrated production models. Popular series like The Good Doctor and Young Sheldon have ridden off into the sunset for this same reason recently. They're successful, but the cost to produce and license them is becoming less and less appealing to networks.
That's why, after years of early renewals and its ratings expanding dramatically with a move to a Friday night time slot, S.W.A.T. was initially canceled in May 2023.
As Moore himself declared on Instagram at the time, “It's all about money, y'all.”
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Shemar Moore Publicly Kept The Pressure On CBS And Sony
Back in 2023, Moore was the face of a very immediate and very public campaign to keep bring S.W.A.T. back for Season 7. His reaction proved prophetic, as he responded on Instagram:
They said we’re canceled, but guess what I don’t think we’re done. CBS is either gonna wake up and realize they made a mistake. Sony is gonna do their math and realize that this is not the right move.
He was right. As fans rallied around the series, CBS and Sony TV re-negotiated and agreed to bring the show back, but with a smaller episode order. All but one previous S.W.A.T. season included 20+ episodes (the only exception was the 18-episode fourth season, which was shorter due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic), and Season 7 is only 13 installments, saving enough to make the whole package palatable to CBS.
At the time, however, the seventh season was explicitly positioned as a farewell. In a joint statement, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach and Sony TV President Katherine Pope said, “We are pleased that we found a way to bring it back and give closure to the show’s storylines and characters, which audiences deserve.”
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Strong Ratings Ultimately Saved Season 8
After one miraculous resurrection, the show appeared to be wrapping up with the truncated seventh season, and without a renewal, S.W.A.T. was once again effectively canceled in 2024. But the cast and crew didn't treat the Season 7 finale as a series finale. As Moore told Deadline, “When you get to the finale, you’ll see we shaped it in a way that it’s either our swan song or our new beginning.”
And it turned out to be a new beginning: in April 2024, CBS renewed S.W.A.T. again, reportedly for a full 22-episode season rather than another 13-episode round. And unlike Season 7, Season 8 isn't being promoted as a last hurrah. S.W.A.T. may stick around for seasons to come.
While details of the negotiations between CBS and Sony TV are mysterious, Deadline reports that this latest surprise renewal “was based on the series’ continuing ratings strength on both linear and streaming.”
According to CBS, the show averages 8.8 million viewers across platforms and is one of the top 20 broadcast dramas on TV. And it's strong abroad, with international sales helping both CBS and Sony cushion the costs and avoid a premature cancelation like the one ABC faced with The Good Doctor.
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The Eighth Season Was The End Of The Line, However
After all that, CBS finally made the decision to say farewell to S.W.A.T. in early May 2025. The network was decisive, according to Deadline, skipping renewal negotiations and jumping to cancelation.
The writing was on the wall, as CBS ended FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted the same week.Both of those (also produced by an outside studio, like S.W.A.T.). Since both FBI spinoffs boasted stronger ratings than S.W.A.T., it logically followed that Season 8 would end up being Hondo's last ride.
Showrunner and executive producer Andrew Dettmann shared his thoughts, saying,
It’s heartbreaking news, primarily because it’s been such an immense pleasure working with this cast and crew to put out a show that we’ve always been proud of. They are truly an extraordinary group of people who have all worked so hard and have been so dedicated for all these eight seasons, overcoming countless challenges. I can’t give them enough credit. I feel so privileged to have been a part of the S.W.A.T. family.
Formeer showrunner Shawn Ryan, the executive producer largely responsible for developing the reboot, also said farewell to the show:
It’s been an extraordinary privilege to work on S.W.A.T. for eight seasons and tell the stories of Hondo and 20-Squad.I thank our fans, Shemar Moore, the rest of our cast, our producers, Sony Pictures Television, CBS Studios and CBS for the opportunity. Most of all I want to thank our tireless, dedicated crew who made our writers, directors and cast always look good. My greatest concern right now is for them.
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