CBS has renewed S.W.A.T. for the 2024-2025 season, which will be season No. 8 for the drama. Shemar Moore leads the cast. 

The show was canceled in 2023, but resurrected three days later amidst protests on social media, including those from Moore.

“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. “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. 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.”

S.W.A.T. is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Studios.

“Led by the unstoppable Shemar Moore, S.W.A.T. has captivated viewers since its premiere in 2017, and with every renewal, we are amazed at how passionate and dedicated the fans of this show are,” Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, said. “Thank you to Amy Reisenbach and our partners at CBS for continuing to believe in the show and the incredible work of the cast and crew. Everyone here at Sony Pictures Television is so proud of the world that Shawn, Aaron, Andy and the entire S.W.A.T. team have created, and we congratulate them on coming back for another year. Roll SWAT!”

Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Rochelle Aytes and Anna Enger Ritch are also in the cast. Shawn Ryan, Andrew Dettmann, Justin Lin, Neal H. Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart, Shemar Moore and James Scura are executive producers. 

“It’s a privilege to get to deliver more S.W.A.T. stories to our incredible fans. This season eight pickup is a testament to our showrunner Andy Dettmann, Shemar Moore, the rest of our talented cast and our dedicated crew who continue to produce television that resonates with so many people,” said co-showrunner Shawn Ryan. “We’re grateful to CBS, Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios for the opportunity.”

Moore plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine who runs a specialized tactical unit in Los Angeles.  

“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,” said Moore. “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! 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. Thank you to CBS and SONY for believing in S.W.A.T. and giving us this opportunity to shine!”

The show is on Fridays at 8 p.m., on CBS and Paramount Plus.  

S.W.A.T., the Sony Pictures Television-produced drama that has aired on CBS for six seasons, will make its cable debut on WE tv on Sunday, November 12.

The basic-cable network has licensed all seven seasons of the show — with the shortened and final seventh season due to air on CBS later in 2023 or in 2024 — in a nonexclusive deal with AMC Networks, which owns WEtv.

“S.W.A.T. is one of those high-octane procedurals that continues to captivate audiences and grow its viewership,” SPT senior VP, U.S. distribution Monica Veiga said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with AMC Networks to bring this fan-favorite to their viewers.” 

Inspired by the classic television series and the follow-up feature film, S.W.A.T. stars Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine and locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant, who is tasked with running a specialized tactical unit in Los Angeles. 

S.W.A.T. also airs on CBS, in syndication and is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu. The sixth season, which premiered in 2022 on CBS, averaged 6.76 million viewers per episode, according to Nielsen, a 6 percent increase from the previous season. The first five seasons of S.W.A.T. spent several weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 list as well as on Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 list, according to SPT.

S.W.A.T. is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Studios. The series was developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan.

Crime drama S.W.A.T. had been canceled at CBS May 5, but was renewed on May 8, and will come back for season seven. The season will have 13 episodes. 

Shemar Moore plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine who runs a specialized tactical unit in Los Angeles. Torn between his duty in law enforcement and his loyalty to where he was raised, Hondo hustles to bridge the divide between his two worlds. 

Moore was critical of the network cancelling the show on Instagram. 

“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,” Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, and Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, said on Twitter. “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.”

Alex Russell, Jay Harrington, Kenny Johnson, David Lim and Rochelle Aytes are also in the cast. 

“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.,” Reisenbach and Pope concluded. “We look forward to its return next season.”

Shawn Ryan is showrunner and executive producer. The other exec producers on S.W.A.T. are Justin Lin, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty and Neal H. Moritz. 

Drama S.W.A.T. will not see another season on CBS. Season six began in October. Shemar Moore stars in the law-enforcement show.

Moore plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine who runs a specialized tactical unit in Los Angeles. Torn between his duty in law enforcement and his loyalty to where he was raised, Hondo hustles to bridge the divide between his two worlds. 

Alex Russell, Jay Harrington, Kenny Johnson, David Lim and Rochelle Aytes are also in the cast. 

Moore expressed his frustration with the show’s cancellation on Instagram. 

Sony Pictures Television produces the show in association with CBS Studios. Executive producers are Shawn Ryan, Justin Lin, Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart, Andy Dettman and Paul Bernard. 

The original version of S.W.A.T. ran on ABC for two seasons, starting in 1975. 

S.W.A.T. is short for Special Weapons and Tactics. 

On the heels of CBS’s renewal of long-running drama S.W.A.T., Sony Pictures Television is taking the show to the syndication market for a second cycle, starting next fall, Sony said Wednesday. 

Cycle two would be for two years — from fall 2023 until fall 2025 — with a possibility of being renewed for a third cycle should the show continue to perform. The show’s first five seasons are currently in their first cycle on TV stations in weekend off-network syndication and the second cycle would incorporate season six. According to SPT, S.W.A.T. grew more than any other weekly off-network hour last season and was the only weekly to grow among men 18-49. 

“On network, S.W.A.T. has been one of the top shows in attracting a diverse audience, and we’ve seen that translate into syndication,“ SPT senior VP and general sales manager, U.S. syndication sales Zack Hernandez said in a statement. “Due to the action-oriented nature of the series, it has also been a natural fit for sports adjacencies. The show has done a great job of finding an audience wherever it is, and we look forward to taking it out for a second cycle.” 

“Between its season-six pickup and solid network performance, S.W.A.T. has a tremendous amount of momentum,“ said Flory Bramnick, EVP, U.S. distribution, SPT, also in a statement. “Now with a strong first cycle in syndication, we’re seeing a growing appetite for the show and believe it has a long, bright future in syndication.”  

The drama — which stars Shemar Moore, David Lim, Alex Russell, Jay Harrington and Lina Esco — is produced by Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios. It is executive produced by Shawn Ryan, Andy Dettmann, Justin Lin, Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart and Paul Bernard. The show was developed for television by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Ryan. ▪️

CBS has renewed dramas NCIS, Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I., Bull and SWAT. “What do these shows all have in common? They are all...RENEWED,” CBS said on Twitter. 

NCIS will enter season 19. Short for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS has Mark Harmon as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. 

Blue Bloods is in season 11. A drama about a multi-generational family of cops in New York, it has Tom Selleck as police commissioner Frank Reagan.

In season three, Magnum P.I. has Jay Hernandez as a private investigator in a Tigers cap, chasing down bad guys in Hawaii. 

Bull, with Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, will see season six. The show is inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, founder of a prolific trial-consulting firm. 

SWAT will see season five. Shemar Moore plays a former Marine and S.W.A.T. sergeant running a tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. 

While a handful of high-profile rebooted shows have helped anchor the broadcast schedule this season, including NBC comedy Will & Grace, CBS cop drama SWAT and The CW’s soapy Dynasty, a couple more major rethinkings of beloved series are on tap to debut in the coming weeks. American Idol makes its premiere on ABC March 11, and comedy Roseanne debuts on that network March 27.

Related: Something Borrowed, Something New

Many believe the reboot trend is simply a function of it being harder and harder for a show to stand out among the many offerings on broadcast, cable and streaming, with a familiar title having a better chance to make itself known among distracted viewers. Others feel TV watchers are simply missing the simpler days of television viewing in a previous era. “Folks are looking to kinder and gentler times, a sense of nostalgia,” media consultant Bill Carroll said. “There’s so much controversy these days; there seems to be a division in the culture.”

TV pundits such as Carroll are quick to point out there are two types of rebooted shows. One, which includes Will & Grace and Roseanne, reassembles the cast and key writers and producers. Another, as is the case with SWAT, which originally ran on ABC in 1975 and ’76, brings back the title and concept, but with a new cast and behind-the-scenes team.

The rookie reboots are a mixed bag. Will & Grace, which first aired on NBC from 1998-2006, has averaged 9.8 million viewers this season, and a 3.1 live-plus-7 rating in viewers 18-49, earning a renewal. SWAT has averaged 9.9 million viewers and a 1.8 rating in 18-49. Dynasty is averaging 1.1 million viewers and a 0.3 in adults 18-49 on a live-plus-7 basis.

American Idol, which had its farewell season on Fox in 2016, looks to be a mix of old and new elements. Carroll says its success is reliant on two dynamics: how the judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, connect with viewers, and if the show can unearth a batch of talented and charismatic contestants for Idol fans to feel passionate for. “Lightning has to strike in two ways,” he said.

Trish Kinane, president of entertainment programming at Idol producer FremantleMedia North America, believes the judges will connect with viewers. “They bring a completely different vibe to the show,” Kinane said. “They very much bring their own style to it.”

Preston Beckman, former Fox executive vice president of strategic program planning and research and chairman of The Beckman Group consultancy, said an Idol that sticks pretty close to what worked on Fox will yield the best ratings. “I don’t think it will come back significantly higher than where it left off,” he said. “But it will do better than whatever ABC would put on in that time period if they didn’t have American Idol.”

Sampling for the new Idol should be sky high. The return of host Ryan Seacrest helps it stick close to its original formula, though the sexual harassment allegations aimed at him by a former stylist may turn some viewers away.

Beckman said ABC is also well-positioned for a strong debut for Roseanne, which comes from Carsey-Werner Television. The network is up for nine episodes, with the original cast, including Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert and Laurie Metcalf, back in the mix.

“I think it will open to a pretty good number,” Beckman said. “ABC has good middle-America comedies.”

Bergen Back as Brown
Also in the works in terms of remade shows is a redo of Murphy Brown, with CBS saying yes to 13 episodes for the 2018-19 season. Murphy Brown starred Candice Bergen as an investigative journalist and hard-nosed host of a newsmag, originally airing on CBS from 1988-98.

CBS has also ordered pilots for Cagney & Lacey, about a pair of female detectives in Los Angeles, and Magnum P.I., from Peter Lenkov, who helped bring Hawaii Five-0 back to CBS in 2010. Other reincarnated series include The X-Files and The Exorcist on Fox, MacGyver on CBS, and Battle of the Network Stars and The Gong Show on ABC.

Beckman said reboots are hardly new, though the trend perhaps stands out more in a TV landscape where so many networks must fill countless hours with original stuff. “It’s always been part of television’s tradition,” he said.