S.W.A.T. has had a tumultuous run on CBS over the past decade, and not just because of what Shemar Moore's Hondo Harrleson has gone through. The show was cancelled and then uncancelled twice before CBS axed it again in early March, and this cancellation seems likely to stick. While Moore hasn't given up hope on Netflix picking up S.W.A.T, comments from two of his co-stars have me thinking ahead to the finale.
Anna Enger Ritch and Chicago Fire vet Annie Ilonzeh, who respectively play Officer Zoe Powell and Officer Devin Gamble, spoke with TVLine ahead of the cancellation to hype the Season 8 finale. Now that news has broken that the Season 8 finale will also be the series finale, their comments about that last episode carry more weight. Ritch shared:
I’ll say this: It will make you not want this show to end. You’ll want to keep watching what happens. There are so many avenues and directions to go, so many stories to tell, so many personal things…. It will leave you wanting so much more.
Anna Enger Ritch's enthusiasm doesn't come as too much of a surprise, since she addressed the finale before news of the third and presumably final cancellation. S.W.A.T. executive producer Shawn Ryan's earlier update seemed promising for a Season 9, and there was always the possibility of the fandom growing between the seasons thanks to the series' availability with a Netflix subscription.
Annie Ilonzeh, who was a newcomer to S.W.A.T. in Season 8, agreed with Ritch's tease about the finale, then added her own take:
You go, ‘Oh my gosh, that just happened!’ And, ‘Wait, I need more!’ We definitely don’t button anything up. We leave you guessing and very curious for more.
That certainly sounds like reason for fans to fear a cliffhanger ending to the series! Ahead of the Season 7 finale last year, Shemar Moore described the episode as one that could fit as "either our swan song or our new beginning." I'd say that Anna Enger Ritch and Annie Ilonzeh weren't describing a finale that would qualify as a swan song to say goodbye!
Of course, there are still multiple episodes left before the final credits roll, so perhaps we shouldn't stress too much just yet over whether S.W.A.T. will get the ending it deserves. Who knows? Maybe there will be good news of another platform picking it up for Season 9 by the time the CBS finale airs in May.
Shemar More made some solid points when he pitched Netflix as a new home for S.W.A.T. as a streaming original, pointing out that the show quickly became the #1 series on the platform, and then stayed in the Top 15 for several months. While he showed gratitude to CBS for his successful career across The Young and the Restless, Criminal Minds, and of course S.W.A.T., he was clear on Instagram that he's not ready to give up on Hondo just yet.
So, will the finale that is going to blow fans' minds – if Anna Enger Ritch and Annie Ilonzeh are to be believed – truly be the end of S.W.A.T.? We can only wait and see, but at least new episodes of Season 8 are currently airing on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. You can also revisit earlier seasons streaming on Netflix now.
