Farewell Street: Counting the 10 best moments for the SWAT cop
As Street bids farewell to SWAT, here's a look back at the most memorable moments of the cop, from rookie to leader.
Looking at Street's best SWAT moments
As SWAT winds down with its final season, there’s been some big changes for the show. One of the biggest was in the Friday, March 8 episode as Jim Street, a mainstay of the series since it premiered, left the team. It was a bit surprising as Alex Russell hadn’t hinted he’d be leaving so soon but it worked out well for the storyline.
It’s been a long journey for Street, a boy who saw his mother kill his father, spent years in foster care, and became a cop to help others. He went from a rookie often in over his head to a capable cop and a trusted ally. He had his romances from Hicks’ daughter to his longtime flirtation with fellow cop Chris (Lina Esco) and a host of personal issues to get through but came out stronger.
With his tenure done (unless he makes an appearance in the series finale), it’s fun to look back at some of the best moments for Street across SWAT’s run. Obviously, with seven seasons, there’s a lot of storylines to go through but narrowing them down shows how well Street grew as a cop and a person and why his exit was such a huge deal for fans.
Joining the team (Season 1, Episode 1)
Street’s tenure in SWAT got off to a bad start, showing up in the wrong uniform when the team was already reeling from Hondo taking over from their old leader. Hondo and Street had it out in the first few episodes on Street’s gung-ho attitude and throwing himself into things against orders.
It set the tone for the character of the punk having to temper his attitude yet still meaning well. It got better as it went along, yet these episodes were good, establishing how much Street had to learn about the team and his place in it.
Dealing with his mother (Season 1, Episode 22)
A recurring subplot in SWAT was Street’s tense relationship with his mother, Karen (Sherilyn Fenn), a longtime addict and small-time crook. Street tried to help her, but his mother kept causing problems.
That built up to the first season finale when Street learned his uncle and his mom were having an issue. That had him nearly blowing off an assignment and, worse, lying to Hondo about it. When he came clean, Hondo kicked Street off of SWAT, a blow to his pride even as he realized his mother was only causing him more headaches.