{"id":51856,"date":"2024-05-21T18:11:55","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T16:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2044109"},"modified":"2024-05-21T18:31:52","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T16:31:52","slug":"will-there-be-a-swat-season-8","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/will-there-be-a-swat-season-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Will there be a SWAT season 8?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The procedural action series has had a bumpy road thus far \u2013 but will Shemar Moore’s Hondo and the rest of the team be returning for more adventures? <\/p>

By James Hibbs\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 16:11 PM<\/p>

\n\n

While the seventh season of SWAT is continuing to air in the UK on Sky Max and NOW, it has now wrapped up in the US.<\/p>\n

This means that fans will naturally be wondering whether Shemar Moore\u2019s Hondo and the rest of the team will be back for more adventures in an eighth outing, and the truth is, it\u2019s complicated.<\/p>\n

The series follows the team who run the Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the LAPD, and is set in the same universe as co-creator Shawn Ryan\u2019s crime drama series The Shield.<\/p>\n

But will it be back for season 8? Read on for everything you need to know about the future of SWAT.<\/p>\n

*WARNING \u2013 CONTAINS FULL SPOILERS FOR SWAT SEASON 7*<\/strong><\/p>\n

Will there be a SWAT season 8?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Brigitte\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Brigitte Kali Canales as Alexis Cabrera and Anna Enger Ritch as Powell in SWAT.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sony Pictures Entertainment<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

There will!<\/strong> That may be surprising to some, as it was previously announced that SWAT\u2019s seventh season would also be its last.<\/p>\n

In actual fact, the series was initially cancelled in 2023 following season 6, but this decision was reversed at the last minute to give the show a sendoff with a seventh and final season. Following a campaign led by Moore, the show\u2019s other stars and its fans, the show was saved once again, and in April 2024 was renewed for season 8.<\/a><\/p>\n

Moore said in a statement following the news: \u201cSWAT IS BACK! BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! I am so proud of this show and the people and variables it has taken to make this show what it is and has become. I am so grateful to the fans around the world who have supported, watched, enjoyed and rooted for SWAT!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is entirely because of this support that SWAT will continue to shine! This is still a dream job for me\u2026 I love my SWAT crew, cast and writers and producers \u2013 we have made an incredible, fun, exciting, provocative and heartwarming show for the world to enjoy. Thank you to CBS and SONY for believing in SWAT and giving us this opportunity to shine!\u201d<\/p>\n

It is expected that the season will consist of 22 episodes and, notably, CBS is not calling this the show\u2019s final season, meaning there could even be a ninth outing in the offing.<\/p>\n

The renewal news came just before filming wrapped on season 8, but, in an interview with TVLine<\/a>, showrunner Andrew Dettmann confirmed that nothing was changed from the show\u2019s initial plan.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cNo, this was the direction we had pushed anyway, because we thought if we end the last episode with that nice upswing of, like, \u2018Damn it, this is the best team!,\u2019 it ends in a way that\u2019s ready to go forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the plan most of the way through. It was great to get the news when we did about Season 8, but it really didn\u2019t do a lot to affect the last episode.\u201d<\/p>\n

When could SWAT season 8 be released?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Shemar\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Shemar Moore as Daniel \u2018Hondo\u2019 Harrelson, Jay Harrington as David \u201cDeacon\u201d Kay and David Lim as Victor Tan in SWAT.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sony Pictures Entertainment<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

SWAT season 8 is expected to debut in the US on CBS as part of the fall season, meaning that an October debut seems most likely.<\/p>\n

In the UK, seasons have tended to follow on Sky Max and NOW some months afterwards, meaning we could be waiting until some time in 2025 for new episodes. We will keep this page updated once we have any more concrete news regarding the air dates for season 8.<\/p>\n

Who could be back to star in SWAT season 8?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Shemar\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Shemar Moore as Daniel \u2018Hondo\u2019 Harrelson in SWAT.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sony Pictures Entertainment<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Many of the stars of SWAT will be returning for season 8, including Shemar Moore<\/strong> as Sergeant\u00a0Daniel \u2018Hondo\u2019 Harrelson Jr, David Lim<\/strong> as Officer Victor Tan, Patrick St Esprit<\/strong> as Commander Robert Hicks, Rochelle Aytes<\/strong> as Nichelle Carmichael and Anna Enger Ritch<\/strong> as Officer Zoe Powell.<\/p>\n

Jay Harrington<\/strong> will also be back as Sergeant David \u2018Deacon\u2019 Kay, after a surprise decision to stay at the end of the season 8 finale. The character had been expected to retire, but in an interview with TVLine, showrunner Andrew Dettman explained that it was always the plan for him to change his mind.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cYeah, he [Deacon] was always going to be there. We knew Jay [Harrington] would be around. That was the one thing where I questioned myself a bit, the storyline of him retiring and coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little worried after losing Street and Luca, that even faking<\/em> that we were losing Deacon would turn people off. I\u2019m hoping it didn\u2019t, and I don\u2019t think it did. So, yeah, Deacon\u2019s back and is part of the team going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Dettman references, there are a number of cast members who won\u2019t be returning, most prominently Alex Russell, who played Officer Jim Street and Kenny Johnson, who played Officer Dominique Luca.<\/p>\n

Moore spoke with Deadline<\/a> about these departures and the potential for the actors and characters to return, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say goodbye to a bunch of wonderful people. Alex Russell, Kenny Johnson and a couple of seasons back we lost Lina Esco.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is hard; so now we have some OGs, myself as Hondo, Deacon [Jay Harrington], Hicks [Patrick St. Esprit], Tan [David Lim] and some newbies. But regarding those people that you miss, nobody died. And in the world of Hollywood, anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full list of the actors and characters we currently know will be back for SWAT season 8:<\/strong><\/p>\n