The end is almost here for SWAT, with the date set at CBS. It’s not looking like the series will be saved this time, meaning that the SWAT season 8 finale will need to work as a series finale.
Showrunner Andrew Dettmann has said that the finale was written in a way that it would work as a series ender. The writers learned from the past, knowing that the end could come at any time, and here it is. However, that doesn’t mean we’re ready to say goodbye.
When will the SWAT series finale air on CBS?
CBS has set the dates for the current shows to come to an end. While there are a few happening in April, a lot of the usual suspects are being held until May. That includes SWAT, which will get a two-hour finale on Friday, May 16.
It’s important to note that there will be one break in the coming weeks. As the Fire Country season 3 finale is also a two-hour finale and happening on one night, SWAT will get Friday, April 25 off. It will return the following week and run each Friday until May 16.
The finale will begin at the earlier time of 9 p.m. ET/PT to fit in both episodes during the night.
What to expect in the SWAT series finale
It doesn’t look like the two episodes are a two-parter of the same story, though. The first hour of the night will see Hondo deal with a ghost from his own past when there’s a violent car thief who he thought was dead. This leads to old rivalries reigniting, while Devin deals with her own personal crisis when her brother ends up tangled up in the investigation.
The final hour of the series will see the team deal with ex-pat Russian mercenaries holding LA hostage. There are explosives all over the city, with SWAT HQ ending up under attack when the team brings the mercenaries’ leader, Dmitri Rykov in for safe keeping.
While the finale was not initially conceived as a series finale, it’s been written in a way that it works as an ending. Dettmann and his writers learned that their time could be up at any point after being saved by CBS twice before. However, the stars have warned us that we’ll want more — and that’s possibly just because of how amazing the episode is going to be!
SWAT airs on Fridays at 10/9c on CBS. Catch up the following day on Paramount+.
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