If there’s one show that has had a good run and managed to escape the reaper a few times, it’s SWAT. However, it looks like its luck has run out, with CBS handing out a third cancellation order. Will this one stick?
SWAT made headlines when it was canceled and then abruptly un-canceled back in May 2023. When it was uncanceled, it was to hand the series a shortened final season, but then in a surprise turn of events, the series landed an eighth season. Well, that eighth season is now becoming it’s last.
Maybe. You never know with this series.
SWAT is the latest CBS cancellation
CBS has been a little ruthless with some of its shows this year. FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted were both shocking canceled despite stronger ratings than some shows that were renewed have. In a way, it wasn’t surprising that one of the shows would be canceled as CBS is eyeing up a third FBI spin-off, but we didn’t expect both shows to go.
Then came the news of SWAT’s cancellation. It is disappointing news for fans of the series, and it’s clear that Shemar Moore and others are not done. The question is whether this cancellation will be reversed.
Why is SWAT canceled this time?
The decision behind the cancellation is financial. Like International and Most Wanted, SWAT is an outside-produced series. It’s licensed by CBS, and that brings certain financial issues to the renewals. It means a lot more contract negotiations, which is why many of these show renewals go down to the wire. The Equalizer is the last of the CBS shows on the bubble still to go through similar negotiations.
If the series isn’t financially viable for the network, it will try to negotiate a lower cost via fewer episodes or the cast members not all being involved in every episode. This has worked for FBI, and this is the current consideration to land The Equalizer a final season. However, the producing studio doesn’t have to agree, and this is where sometimes the companies just part ways.
Shemar Moore wants another network or streamer to step in
Moore’s voice was the one that managed to get CBS and Sony to U-turn on the initial decision. So, it’s natural that he is trying again this time. He loves creating the series, and he says that there are more stories to tell. However, it sounds like he knows that CBS isn’t the home this time.
He’s turning to Netflix, ABC, and NBC for a chance to get a ninth season, according to Deadline. It’s much harder to get a show to move networks, and it’s rare for another broadcast network to pick up a series. Netflix, on the other hand, could be a viable option as the current seasons of the series that stream on there are doing well.
However, according to TVLine, showrunner Andrew Dettman says that the writers have all learned their lessons over the last couple of years. The season finale will work as a series finale, suggesting that this time may be the time SWAT can’t be saved.
SWAT airs on Fridays at 10/9c on CBS.
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