There’s a chance coming to the SWAT lineup again. That’s not surprising as we get ready for a new season of the series.
It’s not one of Hondo’s team this time. However, it is someone connected to Hondo. We’re going to see less of his wife Nichelle when the show returns.
Rochelle Aytes won’t be back on SWAT as a series regular
Remember that Season 7 was set to be the final season when it was finally picked up. That meant some contracts were needed, and the were needed for the one season. Then CBS U-turned on the “final season” order, and that means contracts need to be negotiated again.
The series decided not to renew Rochelle Aytes’s contract as a series regular this time. That doesn’t mean we won’t see her at all. Aytes came into the series as a recurring guest star, at first. It allowed time for Hondo to meet her and grow affectionate with Nichelle. As the two settled down and found out they were having a baby together, Nichelle became a more prominent part of the series.
While the show writers would like to see Aytes back now and then, that doesn’t mean it will be possible. As she was let go as a series regular, another opportunity opened up.
Rochelle Aytes has landed a role on Watson
Aytes has been offered a series regular role on the new CBS medical mystery series, Watson. This drama stars Morris Chestnut as Dr. Watson—yes, the Dr. Watson who is the sidekick to Sherlock Holmes. Well, Watson will go his own way. It’s time to stop investigating deaths and start investigating medical mysteries instead.
According to Deadline, Aytes will play Dr. Mary Morstan, the Medical Director of the hospital and one of the best surgeons on the East Coast. She is also the ex-wife of Dr. Watson. While their marriage didn’t work out, she still has great respect for him as a doctor. She is also more than willing to help him out on some of the sleuthing he does in medical mysteries, although she does get irritated by his unorthodox approach to medicine.
It could be difficult for Aytes to appear on SWAT as a guest star while being a series regular on Watson. The medical drama will film in Canada while the cop drama films in California. However, Watson is a midseason drama that is set to start filming this week, while SWAT is a fall show and that means more episodes. There could be some opportunities later in the SWAT season.