SWAT has lived quite a few lives since the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series premiered in 1975. After a movie was released in 2003, the CBS procedural began airing in 2017. Now, after the season 7 finale aired in May 2024, SWAT fans are glad to know there will be an eighth season.
SWAT fans are relieved the series didn’t end up as one of the TV series CBS canceled in 2024. From the season 8 premiere to who is starring in the next season, along with what it’s going to be about, fans are curious about many details.
What is the SWAT season 8 release window?
While there is no exact date for the SWAT season 8 premiere, the show was added to the CBS 2024/2025 calendar, according to The Hollywood Reporter. September 2024 seems to be the month the premiere will air.
For a while, it didn’t seem that SWAT would come back at all. In May 2023, CBS canceled SWAT and it seemed that season 6 would be its last. Shawn Ryan, the creator of SWAT, told The Hollywood Reporter that a seventh season might have been tough because of money. Ryan said, “SWAT is third in the demo at CBS; there’s no reason why the show shouldn’t be picked up other than the economics of the business are changing. CBS and Sony will or will not figure out a way to economically make a season seven work.” When SWAT was canceled, Shemar Moore said on Instagram that the procedural drama was “the most diverse show on CBS.”
However, CBS decided after only a few days that a seventh season of SWAT would happen after all. Following this surprise, SWAT began streaming on Netflix. The rollercoaster ride didn’t end there, though, as fans were convinced SWAT wouldn’t continue past season 7, but can definitely rest assure that another season focusing on Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore) is on its way.
Who is the cast of SWAT season 8?
Most of the SWAT season 7 cast members seem like they will come back for season 8. It seems like fans can be certain they will see main cast members such as Patrick St. Esprit and David Lim in SWAT season 8.
There is one big change fans should know, though: Deadline reported that Rochelle Aytes decided to stop appearing as a regular cast member on SWAT because she got a role on the CBS drama Watson. But since Nichelle Carmichael is a crucial part of SWAT, she will most likely return from time to time in season 8. Dominique Luca is another character who is long gone, and Kenny Johnson stopped portraying this role in season 7.
In an interview with People, Shemar Moore talked about how much he loves playing his memorable character. Moore said, “I called it a dream job and here I am, after just finishing season 7, that we almost didn’t get, and it’s still a dream job. It’s a family show and people are gravitating to this show season after season.” He also compared the characters to superheroes: “Hondo and the team, we play these super police. And we are heroes, in a sense.”
According to Soaps.sheknows.com, Jay Harrington appears to be coming back for season 8 of SWAT because he shared the great news of the season 8 renewal on his Instagram account. However, SWAT fans will most likely not see Alex Russell in season 8 as his character, Jim Beach, moved away in season 7. But he did direct an April 2024 episode of the drama.
This isn’t the only time the SWAT cast has said goodbye to a regular actor. Lina Esco stopped playing Chris Alonso after season 5. According to E! News, Esco said she was going to look for “new creative endeavors.”
What will SWAT season 8 be about?
Although the main story of SWAT season 8 hasn’t been confirmed, we know from the SWAT season 7 finale that the next season will be tense. Every episode of season 7 had cases for the 20-squad to work on, from a sniper in L.A. to doomsday preppers in the eighth episode “Family Man.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2024, Andrew Dettmann, an executive producer on SWAT, said it’s possible Lina Esco and Alex Russell could return briefly. Dettmann explained that episode 5 of season 7 hinted at an engagement, and that could be a nice season 8 storyline. Since the cases the 20-squad deals with can be disturbing, this could be a break.
From Dettmann’s EW interview, it also seems that Hondo’s relationship with his dad will also be part of season 8. Hondo wasn’t sure he should keep doing his same job in season 7 after a controversial shooting took place. It would be very unlikely for SWAT season 8 not to continue the same tone that the procedural has always had: featuring new cases along with diving into the connections between the main characters.
Shemar Moore told Us Weekly he enjoys the SWAT episodes that are “topical” and “grounded” and that in season 8, Hondo will continue to be “a family man.” Fans can likely expect to see more of Hondo’s home life along with his professional endeavors.