CBS Cancels 'SWAT' Following Sixth Season, Final Episode To Air This Month

It's the end of the line for the long-running hit CBS series, "SWAT." Per The Hollywood Reporter, CBS has canceled the show after its sixth season. The modern update of the 1970s classic cop show starred Shemar Moore as LAPD Sgt. Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson.

The show debuted in November 2017. It has since run through six seasons of 126 episodes. The show will end after episode 128, with the finale airing on May 19. "SWAT" was co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios.

Speaking on the news, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach commented to THR, "For six seasons, the amazing talents of the SWAT cast led by Shemar Moore ("Criminal Minds"), 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 lineup." She continued, "We sincerely thank them for their incredible work and passion and our dedicated fans who tuned in weekly."

https://twitter.com/swatcbs/status/1654570679688208387

The show was drawing more substantial ratings compared to its previous season. THR notes that the series averaged 6.82 million viewers over seven days via Nielsen's data, compared to 6.41 million for its 2021-2022 season. The show did slip somewhat in the key 18-49 demographic, dropping from 0.8 to 0.67. However, it's reportedly still been drawing in the Top 20 drams for ad-supported, traditional broadcast programming.

While ratings were not the main reason for the cancelation, THR reports that the likely cause is the current economics of the television business likely caused the cancelation. Networks and streamers are currently prioritizing full ownership of their content.

The series also featured Alex Russell, Jay Harrington, Kenny Johnson, David Lim, Patrick St. Espirit, and Rochelle Aytes. Shawn Ryan ("The Shield") and Aaron Thomas developed the television reboot. Ryan executive produced the long-running series with Justin Lin ("Fast & Furious"), Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart, Andy Dettman, and Paul Bernard also attached as executive producers. Harrington also served as the director for the new episode that debuted this week.

This is not the first time "SWAT" received a reboot. In 2003, the original television series was given a big-screen update starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson as Lt. Hondo. Clark Johnson directed the film, and it also starred Jeremy Renner, LL Cool J, Olivier Martinez, and Michelle Rodriguez. While the 2003 film was not well-liked by critics, it was a box office hit, grossing $116 million domestically and $207 million worldwide.

While the film was a success, it only received two direct-to-video sequels with "SWAT: Firefight" in 2011 and "SWAT: Under Siege" in 2017.

Series star Moore also previously starred in the hit CBS show "Criminal Minds" as Derek Morgan for 11 seasons. Moore left the show after Season 11 but still appeared in Seasons 12 and 13 before leaving the show.

The penultimate episode of "SWAT" on CBS debuts on May 12, followed by the series finale on May 19.