SWAT gets canceled at CBS again after being brought back twice

While SWAT was surprisingly revived for a couple extra seasons, the legacy TV network has decided to not renew the show…unless they bring it back again.

It’s not unusual for a TV series to get canceled and then come back. Most of the time, it’s picked up by another network or a streamer. Sometimes, there are shows like Family Guy, where they were canceled by FOX twice but also brought back, and interestingly enough, it’s become a staple of their animation block. The Hollywood Reporter is now revealing that CBS has decided to bench SWAT yet again. The show was a remake of the 1975 ABC series, which had also served as an inspiration for the 2003 Colin Farrell/ Samuel L. Jackson film of the same name.

The show had just wrapped up its eighth season. Showrunner and executive producer Andrew Dettmann would react in a statement that said, “It’s heartbreaking news, primarily because it’s been such an immense pleasure working with this cast and crew to put out a show that we’ve always been proud of. They are truly an extraordinary group of people who have all worked so hard and have been so dedicated for all these eight seasons, overcoming countless challenges. I can’t give them enough credit.”

CBS had first canceled SWAT following its sixth season back in 2023. The network would then reverse its decision and they would give the impression that the seventh installment would be the show’s last. However, in April 2024, to the surprise of the fans, CBS would bring back the show with a last-minute renewal for an eighth installment. Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, explained at the time, “Here at CBS, we always ‘stay liquid’ and love a good dramatic twist, especially when it leads to an eighth season of SWAT.”

Executive producer Shawn Ryan said in a statement, “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to work on SWAT for eight seasons and tell the stories of Hondo and 20-Squad. I thank our fans, Shemar Moore, the rest of our cast, our producers, Sony Pictures Television, CBS Studios and CBS for the opportunity. Most of all I want to thank our tireless, dedicated crew who made our writers, directors and cast always look good. My greatest concern right now is for them.”

About the Author

E.J. is a News Editor at JoBlo, as well as a Video Editor, Writer, and Narrator for some of the movie retrospectives on our JoBlo Originals YouTube channel, including Reel Action, Revisited and some of the Top 10 lists. He is a graduate of the film program at Missouri Western State University with concentrations in performance, writing, editing and directing.