While the show continues to perform well in its Friday at 8:00 p.m. timeslot, CBS has decided not to renew “S.W.A.T.” for a seventh season. The Friday, May 19 episode will now serve as the show’s series finale.
A new take on the 1975 “S.W.A.T.” TV series and the 2003 feature film, “S.W.A.T.” starred Shemar Moore (“The Young and the Restless”) as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine and locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant tasked to run 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.
According to Deadline, the decision to cancel came down to financials. While CBS Studios was a co-producer on the series, lead producer Sony Pictures Television wasn’t willing to accept another flat license fee renewal offer as it had previously done. That would have eaten into the studio’s long-term profits off of the show and would balloon the per-episode budget on their end. CBS reportedly upped the per-episode license fee, but it would have cut down on the number of episodes ordered for next season, another sticking point for Sony.
“For six seasons, the amazing talents of the ‘S.W.A.T.’ cast led by Shemar Moore, the writers, producers and crew guided by Executive Producers Shawn Ryan, Andy Dettman and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas brought us compelling, action packed episodes that also addressed important social issues and contributed to the success of our primetime line up,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment in a statement. “We sincerely thank them for their incredible work and passion and also thank our dedicated fans who tuned in every week.”
In addition to Moore, the series also starred Alex Russell as Jim Street, Jay Harrington as David “Deacon” Kay, Kenny Johnson as Dominique Luca, David Lim as Victor Tan, Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks and Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle, Hondo’s girlfriend, the operator of a South LA community center.
Entitled “Legacy,” part two of what was to be the show’s two-part season finale, now series finale, airs Friday, May 19 and finds the team working with the DEA and their iron-jawed leader, Mack Boyle (guest star Timothy Hutton), to stop a ruthless cartel boss waging war on the streets of Los Angeles as he exacts revenge on those who killed his son.
Shemar Moore reprises his role as Malcolm Winters on the Monday, May 8 episode of “The Young and the Restless.”