The officers of the Special Weapons and Tactics unit are on their way! Months after it was renewed for its seventh and final season, we finally know when S.W.A.T. is coming back on our TV screens.
S.W.A.T. is CBS’ police procedural drama following Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harelson (played by The Young and the Restless‘ Shemar Moore), a former marine who’s hired to lead a new “last stop” Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. The series is based on the 1975 ABC TV series and 2003 movie of the same name.
S.W.A.T. premiered in 2017 and was originally canceled after the finale of its sixth season in May 2023. The show was renewed for a seventh and final season the day after its cancellation following an uproar from fans and its cast, including Moore, who called out CBS’ “lack of diversity.”
Since its renewal, there hasn’t been much news about when S.W.A.T. is expected to return TV. Well, we have good news. Read on for when S.W.A.T. comes back on.
When does S.W.A.T. come back on for Season 7?
When does S.W.A.T. come back on for Season 7? S.W.A.T.‘s official Season 7 release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, however, the series isn’t expected to come back on until 2024 due to the recent Writer’s Guild of America strike and the ongoing Screen Actor’s Guild strike.
That said, S.W.A.T. is returning to TV screens in a different way. News broke in November that S.W.A.T. was sold in syndication for the first time to air on WeTV starting on November 12, 2032, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal also includes S.W.A.T.‘s seventh and final season.
The deal marks the first time S.W.A.T. will air on cable, though it’s available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.
In May, Shemar Moore, who plays Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. on S.W.A.T., celebrated the series reaching the number one spot on the list of the most-watched TV shows on Netflix. “Aayyyeee!!!! @swatcbs hit that NUMBER 1 spot for TV shows on @netflix !!!!! The #SWATFAM showed up and Showed out and is continuing to grow!!!” he captioned a screenshot on Instagram of S.WA.T. in the number-one TV shows spot on Netflix.
Is S.W.A.T. ending?
Is S.W.A.T. ending? The answer is yes. S.W.A.T. is ending with its seventh and final season. S.W.A.T. was originally canceled by CBS after its Season 6 in May 2023. “For six seasons, the amazing talents of the SWAT 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,” Amy Reisenbach, President of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement at the time. “We sincerely thank them for their incredible work and passion and also thank our dedicated fans who tuned in every week.” The drama was a co-production between CBS Studios and Sony Pictures TV.
The decision led to backlash from Shemar Moore who slammed CBS in an Instagram video at the time. “It makes no sense. We’ve done nothing wrong. We did everything that was asked for,” he said at the time. Moore also praised S.W.A.T. as “the most diverse show on CBS.” “CBS, when I got hired to be Hondo on S.W.A.T., was getting a lot of flak for lack of diversity. If I post this, and I think I might, I will get in a lot of trouble with CBS because I’m calling them out. Because they’ve been wonderful to me for 26 out of my 29-year career. But to abruptly get told that you’re cancelled when you led us to believe last week — and the week before, and the week before that — that we would have some semblance of a Season 7 to at least say goodbye, if not continue. And to abruptly be told, ‘You’re done.'”
He continued “I will be fine, but I’m upset because I busted my whole entire a— to prove that I could do this, and I did prove that I could do this… I understand it’s not personal — it’s business — but I still have faith that S.W.A.T. will live to see another day,” he said. “So I’m asking my homies, my fans and my baby girls, and the rest of the world who follow me or follow the show, follow the cast, my brothers and my sisters: Make some f—ing noise. And let them know that canceling S.W.A.T. is a f—ing mistake.”
After Moore’s video, CBS uncanceled S.W.A.T. and renewed it for a seventh and final season. “We have listened to our viewers and their outpouring of passion for S.W.A.T. and we have reached an agreement to renew it for a final season of 13 episodes to air during the 2023-2024 broadcast year,” Reisenbach and Katherine Pope, President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, in a joint statement at the time. “S.W.A.T. has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following. 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. Once again, we appreciate the talents and efforts of the cast, writers, producers and crew and everyone who has contributed to the success of S.W.A.T. We look forward to its return next season.”
Moore also celebrated S.W.A.T.’s renewal in another Instagram post. “Ayyeee!!!!! We did it #SWATFAM!!! @swatcbs is coming back for a 7th and Final season with 13 Episodes!!! Thank you to all of you for the continued and amazing support!! Let’s go,” he wrote in the caption.
