“S.W.A.T.” Was Controversially Canceled Over a Year Ago. Here's Why
“S.W.A.T.” Was Controversially Canceled Over a Year Ago. Here's Why
Emily BlackwoodThu, April 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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David Lim, Shemar Moore and Patrick St. Esprit in 'S.W.A.T.'Credit: Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures Television/CBS -
S.W.A.T. premiered in 2017 and follows a team of highly-trained police officers led by Shemar Moore
The series was first canceled in 2023 after six seasons, but was brought back for what was supposed to be a seventh and final season
CBS went on to renew the series for an eighth season in 2024 and announced that it would be the show's last in 2025
S.W.A.T. may have come to an end, but Sgt. Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson is alive and well.
After eight seasons, the CBS police procedural starring Shemar Moore as the leader of the Los Angeles-based 20 Squad aired its final episode in May 2025.
The actor was vocal about his disappointment at the time and expressed hope the show could find a future on another platform. Days after the finale, Moore announced that he would reprise his role as Hondo in S.W.A.T. Exiles — however, the series has yet to find a home.
“We're in the process of trying to find a platform, whether it be Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, FX, LG, we don't know,” Moore told TV Insider in March 2026. "The show looks different, feels different. It's grittier, it's darker, it's smokier."
He added of the show's premise, "[Hondo's] been exiled, kicked out of S.W.A.T., and he's been given an opportunity to come back in and put all the pieces together, but it's kind of a stacked deck to where he's been put up to fail.”
S.W.A.T. premiered in 2017 as a revival of the 1970s cop series of the same name and starred Moore alongside Jay Harrington as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay, Alex Russell as Officer Jim Street and David Lim as Officer Victor Tran.
It was canceled after six seasons, but was rescued for a seventh season due to viewer demand.
Though the series was greenlit for an eighth season in 2024, Deadline reported in March 2025 that the series had been canceled for the third time.
“To get canceled twice in a row and to get uncanceled twice in a row, I give kudos to me running my mouth on social media,” Moore told PEOPLE before filming season 8. “Nothing lasts forever, but I fight.”
Here's everything to know about why S.W.A.T. was canceled and what star Shemar Moore had to say about the show's future.
Why was S.W.A.T. originally canceled?
Anna Enger Ritch as Zoe PowellCredit: Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures Television/CBS
Despite consistently high ratings, CBS first canceled the crime drama in May 2023 before the season 6 finale premiered. Executive producer Shawn Ryan previously told The Hollywood Reporter's TV Top 5 podcast that if S.W.A.T. wasn't renewed for another season, it was more to do with the changing “economics of the business” than ratings.
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Deadline reported in April 2024 that the show was originally canceled due to a licensing issue between CBS and Sony. When Sony was initially not willing to take on a renewal at a flat license fee, CBS went up on the fee but cut the length of the season to 13 episodes, which led to Sony passing.
However, the two sides ultimately worked it out, and three days after the cancellation announcement, CBS and Sony executives released a joint statement saying they had “listened” to viewers and decided to renew the series for another season.
“S.W.A.T. has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following,” the statement read. “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."
Why was S.W.A.T. brought back for seasons 7 and 8?
Jay Harrington, Annie Ilonzeh, David Lim, Shemar Moore, Niko Pepaj and Anna Enger Ritch in 'S.W.A.T.'Credit: Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures Television/CBS
When CBS renewed S.W.A.T. for a seventh season, it was slated to be the series' last. But in April 2024, the network picked up the crime drama for an eighth season.
Deadline reported at the time that the show's consistently strong ratings — delivering over 8 million viewers per episode — were the reason it was saved again. Though Moore told PEOPLE that he knew S.W.A.T. would have to end sometime, he was happy to get to play Hondo for another 22 episodes.
“It is not going to last forever,” the actor said. “There will be life after S.W.A.T. for me and many others. But right now, I'm not done being Hondo and bringing this show to life."
What has Shemar Moore said about the S.W.A.T. finale?
Shemar Moore as Daniel "Hondo" HarrelsonCredit: Bill Inoshita/CBS
In March 2025, Moore posted an Instagram Reel reacting to the news that S.W.A.T. had been canceled for a third time.
“We are canceled, again. It sucks,” the actor said in the video, noting the unique history S.W.A.T. has after being canceled and revived twice in back-to-back seasons. “How many shows get to say that? … We defied the odds and made a hit television show that the world loved to watch.”
Moore continued to say that even though he thought CBS was making the wrong choice, he thanked the network for airing the many shows he's starred in throughout his career, like Criminal Minds. The actor claimed he's “not done” yet and told Netflix to “holler at your boy.”
“So Netflix, if you're interested in a show that is on autopilot that the world is watching, we'd love to come play," he said.
Where can I watch S.W.A.T.?
Anna Enger Ritch as Zoe PowellCredit: Bill Inoshita/CBS
All 8 seasons of S.W.A.T. are available to stream on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
