CBS Cancels S.W.A.T., the Shemar Moore drama after six seasons.
AFTER SIX SEASONS, SWAT IS ENDING. The show, a relaunch of the same-named 1975 series, debuted on CBS in November 2017 and has now aired over 120 episodes. It follows the LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics unit under the command of Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore).
CBS Cancels S.W.A.T.
The series’ ensemble cast also includes Stephanie Sigman, Alex Russell, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson, Peter Onorati, and Jay Harrington. Debbie Allen, Taye Diggs, and D.B. Woodside from Lucifer have all had cameo appearances.
The Hollywood Reporter claims that neither the current writers strike nor low ratings were the blame for its cancellation. Instead, it’s because the show was a joint venture between CBS and Sony, and the trend in the business is more toward studios owning their whole slate of shows.
The ratings for SWAT were not only not bad, but they were rising. Over the course of the first seven days on television in season 5, the show averaged 6.41 million viewers each episode. With a new average of 6.82 million viewers for Season 6, it significantly increased that and cracked the Top 20 TV dramas.
However, those numbers weren’t nearly compelling enough for CBS and Sony to want to continue working together. The importance of being the exclusive proprietors of their content has increased as more studios create their own exclusive streaming platforms.
The cancellation of Yellowstone season 5 may have been prompted by the departure of star Kevin Costner, but it may also have been an attempt by The Paramount Network to redirect attention from the flagship series (currently streaming on NBCUniversal’s Peacock) to the spinoffs (all of which are available on Paramount+).
S.W.A.T. Season 6 is currently ranking No. 3 on the network in the demo and No. 10 overall in Live + 7 ratings with an average audience of 6.8 million people and a 0.7 rating in the demo.
According to Deadline, the main challenge keeping S.W.A.T. alive is finances.
Being a co-production between Sony Pictures TV and CBS Studios, it was the most costly bubble program on CBS, and there were efforts to strike a deal to bring it back.
Sony Pictures TV refused to compromise on quality if the budget was cut, but CBS wanted the program to be released at a reduced price.
Deadline reports that a pick-up elsewhere has occurred as a consequence, therefore S.W.A.T. won’t be following Magnum P.I.’s lead and moving to a different network.
Unfortunately, it serves to emphasize the difficult finances of broadcast TV in the present.
EP S.W.A.T. On THR’s Top 5 in March, Shawn Ryan said that the reason for the show’s (at the time) bubble status was the networks’ poor financial situation.
Now, the May 19 season finale will also serve as the series finale.
CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said in a statement that “for six seasons, the amazing talents of the S.W.A.T. cast led by Shemar Moore, the writers, producers, and crew guided by executive producers Shawn Ryan, Andy Dettman, and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas brought us compelling, action-packed episodes that also addressed important social issues and contributed to the success of our primetime lineup.”
“We sincerely thank them for their incredible work and passion and also thank our dedicated fans who tuned in every week.” the statement said.
