S.W.A.T. was the rebooting/reimagining of the classic ’70s-era police procedural that spawned a movie in 2003 starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson.
The series has a big name behind the camera with Shawn Ryan, the creator who also brought the world The Shield, one of the best cop shows in the last few decades.
The new version of S.W.A.T. has a police officer named Hondo leading an elite S.W.A.T. unit for the LAPD, as the police try to bridge the gap with local citizens.
Now that the series has three seasons under its belt, fans are ready for more.
Here is everything we know so far about S.W.A.T. Season 4.
This article provides everything that is known about S.W.A.T. Season 4 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s dig down into what is known so far.
Is there going to be a Season 4 of S.W.A.T.?
On May 6, 2020, Variety reported that CBS renewed most of its lineup for the 2020-21 season. This was in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and CBS promised to do its best to get its shows released in 2020, if at all possible.
The network announced renewals for dramas: All Rise, Blue Bloods, Bull, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and SEAL Team.
“Thanks to these exceptional shows, we’re going to win the current season by 1 million viewers,” said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment.
“Next year, we’ll have these strong returning series as our foundation…that will put us in an incredibly stable position for 2020-2021.”
Release date latest: When does S.W.A.T. Season 4 come out?
The initial news was disappointing, as CBS announced that S.W.A.T. would be a mid-season-release in 2021.
Deadline reported that S.W.A.T. was the only 2020-21 release not on the schedule, as it would end up landing later in the season.
“It’s a proven show. Through the years, we have always enjoyed having a stable, proven performer on our bench, and S.W.A.T. falls into that category,” Kahl told Deadline. “I know we can call on it anywhere we might need it, and it will come and do a great job.”
That has changed.
CBS pulled Survivor from the fall schedule this year, and that is where sitting on the bench helped both S.W.A.T. and CBS. WIth Survivor moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, S.W.A.T. moved into its place.
The removal of Survivor moves The Amazing Race into the 8/7c timeslot on Wednesdays, with Seal Team at 9/8c and S.W.A.T. sliding into the 10/9c slot.
The Amazing Race returns on October 14, but so far, S.W.A.T. is not listed on the schedule yet.
S.W.A.T. Season 4 cast updates
The biggest name for the S.W.A.T. cast when it premiered was Shemar Moore, who moved over from the uber-popular Criminal Minds to take on a more prominent role as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr., the man tasked with leading the S.W.A.T. unit.
Along with Moore, other cast members likely to return for S.W.A.T. Season 4 include Alex Russell (Chronicle) as Street, Lina Esco (Kingdom) as Chris, Kenny Johnson (The Shield) as Luca, Jay Harrington (Hot in Cleveland) as Deacon, David Lim (Quantico) as Victor Tan, Patrick St. Esprit (Narcos) as Commander Robert Hicks, and Amy Farrington (Beyond) as Lt. Detective Piper Lynch.
2019 also saw a fun cameo, as David Marciano showed up in an episode as Det. Steve Billings. For fans who don’t know, Det. Billings is from The Shield, where he co-starred from Season 4-7.
This means both shows exist in the same world and could open up the idea for more cameos, although that gets a little complicated since Kenny Johnson, who plays Luca, played Lem in that earlier series.
S.W.A.T. Season 4 spoilers
In the Season 3 finale, Hondo and his S.W.A.T. team up with an unexpected ally — the DEA — as they tried to trace drug traffickers after an unfortunate plane crash.
In the more personal stories, Hondo tried everything he could to mend the differences with Nichelle, and Luca experienced major anxiety based on his return to the battlefield.
The third season of S.W.A.T. did not get a proper finale thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down production. As a result, the series had to stop before it was time, and the word is that producers plan to have the Season 3 finale as part of Season 4 now.
The premiere episode will be a flashback episode in Season 4 to the real-life 1992 Los Angeles riots. This will feature Hondo in his teenage years at that time as he experiences this entire ordeal with his father.
Rise’s Donald Dash has been cast as a young Hondo. Rico E. Anderson is making his return to S.W.A.T. as the younger version of Hondo’s father, Daniel Harrelson, Sr.
The episode was supposed to air on April 29, the 28th anniversary of the event.
CBS has yet to announce when S.W.A.T. Season 4 will premiere.