After months of promoting the final season of S.W.A.T., CBS reversed course Thursday afternoon with the following announcement:
S.W.A.T. has been renewed for Season 8!
The news comes midway through what was previously teased as the seventh and final season.
As you’ll recall, S.W.A.T. was canceled a year ago, before the network walked it back a few days later with a renewal.
The latest twist comes as the hit Shemar Moore drama has been (carefully) wrapping up the storylines of some of the drama’s most beloved characters.
Kenny Johnson’s Luca was written out earlier this month. The character retired after revealing he wasn’t too keen on the idea of desk duty after an injury rendered him unfit to go out in the field with his team.
S.W.A.T. Season 7 is currently delivering huge ratings
S.W.A.T. Season 7 is currently averaging 8.8 million total viewers in live + 35-day multiplatform viewing, up 11 percent year-to-year.
In today’s TV climate, steady is the new up, so a show actually getting some mileage this late in the game is unprecedented.
“Here at CBS, we always ‘stay liquid’ and love a good dramatic twist, especially when it leads to an eighth season of S.W.A.T.!,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, about the eleventh-hour renewal.
“The show continues to resonate with viewers thanks to our talented cast led by Shemar Moore and our amazing writers and producers who keep the show relevant and action-packed,” she continued.
“We’re very pleased to renew it again and incredibly grateful to our partners at SONY, CBS Studios and Shemar for working so closely with us to bring it back for next season,” Reisenbach finished.
Shemar Moore previously teased S.W.A.T.’s return
While doing press for S.W.A.T. Season 7, Moore admitted that he was holding out hope for renewal and was aware it could happen if the show performed well enough.
“S.W.A.T. IS BACK! BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! I am so proud of this show and the people and variables it has taken to make this show what it is and has become,” Moore said Thursday in a press release.
“I am so grateful to the fans around the world who have supported, watched, enjoyed and rooted for S.W.A.T.! It is entirely because of this support that S.W.A.T. will continue to shine!” he added.
“This is still a dream job for me … I love my S.W.A.T. crew, cast and writers and producers – we have made an incredible, fun, exciting, provocative and heartwarming show for the world to enjoy,” Moore stated before ending with, “Thank you to CBS and SONY for believing in S.W.A.T. and giving us this opportunity to shine!”
The final episodes of S.W.A.T. Season 7 may be edited to create cliffhangers
Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Rochelle Aytes, and Anna Enger Ritch also star on the show.
The decision to keep S.W.A.T. around is huge because CBS has been promoting Season 7 as the final chapter.
Now that we know it’s returning, many of the storylines planned for the last episodes could be re-edited to keep threads dangling for another season.
The best part of the news is that CBS did not say anywhere in the press release that Season 8 is the end, giving the sense that the show will continue if it is successful.
CBS is firming up its 2024-2025 plans
The renewal comes as CBS sets up plans for the 2024-2025 TV season.
Tracker, Ghosts, FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, The Neighborhood, NCIS, NCIS: Sydney, and Fire Country have all been renewed for next season.
The Equalizer, NCIS: Hawai’i, and CSI: Vegas are expected to join them.
Elsbeth and So Help Me Todd could go either way, while Blue Bloods and Young Sheldon have already been canceled.
S.W.A.T. airs Fridays at 8/7c on CBS. Catch full episodes on Paramount+.