When it comes to shows that has the lives of a cat, SWAT sits at the top of the list. This series has been canceled three times by the same network, and the third time has stuck. Now eyes are on why CBS decided not to continue with the story.
Of course, there was a fight to save SWAT again. While CBS was done with it, there was hope that somewhere like Netflix would pick it up. Sony did manage to get to the negotiation stage for SWAT season 9, but in the end, the negotiations fell through. Instead, there’s a look at a spinoff series.
CBS canceled SWAT after eight seasons
Despite initially U-turning on the cancellation decision and then deciding that season 7 wouldn’t be the last, CBS opted to cancel SWAT after season 8. There wasn’t a clear reason given at first, but eventually, we learned it all came down to finances and licensing.
CBS is a business, and it needs a profitable show. While SWAT does have a loyal audience, it’s not sitting at the top of the list of shows on the network. On top of that, it has a high-profile cast, which often leads to higher paychecks. As it’s also a licensed show, there were a few elements that worked against it, such as Sony not wanting to budget on episode counts and other factors that would allow CBS to save some money.
It turns out that CBS wanted to reduce the episode count for season 9 to just 13 episodes. It was either that or a flat license fee, and Sony didn’t want to do either of those things. So, CBS opted not to go ahead with the show for a third time, and it wasn’t going to budge on that decision.
Why didn’t other networks save SWAT?
Considering the popularity of the series and the vocal fanbase, why wouldn’t somewhere like Netflix pick up the show? This could have been due to the licensing fees Sony wanted, but it was also due to the way the industry is changing when it comes to saving a show. It’s getting much harder for other networks to pick up a series, especially when it has run for six years on one network.
Sony decided to pivot in the end. Rather than keeping looking for a new home, the focus turned on the universe, and that led to SWAT: Exiles being formed.
Like so many cancellations, the one of SWAT came down to money. It’s annoying from a creative point of view, but at least this was a show that had a season ender that worked as a series finale because the creatives had learned their lessons in previous seasons.
SWAT is available to stream on Netflix and Paramount+.
Stay up to date with the latest SWAT news with Precinct TV.