‘S.W.A.T.’ Likely to Conclude With Season 8 After Double Extension
The procedural action-drama S.W.A.T. concluded its seventh season with a bang, with lead character Hondo putting his life on the line to save LA.
Fans will now be eagerly awaiting the release of the eighth season, which will almost certainly premiere in either October or November of this year. All seasons of S.W.A.T. have premiered in the months of either September, October, or November, with season 7’s February release date being the only exception due to the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes. For the same reason, the show was cut down to 13 episodes from its usual 18-23 episodes per season figure.
Kenny Johnson, who played the iconic character Dominique Luca on the show, will be absent from the season 8 cast list following his emotional departure from the team in season 7. Fans won’t see much of Nichelle Carmichael either, considering Rochelle Aytes has bagged a part in the upcoming TV drama Watson and won’t be returning in a recurring role. However, the prospect of her returning in the capacity of a guest star remains open. Series regulars Shemar Moore, Jay Harrington, Alex Russell, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, and Anna Enger Ritch are all but confirmed to return for the next season.
S.W.A.T. follows the typical procedural format of tackling a case per week, and season 8 might be no different. Key plot lines to watch out for will be the potential introduction of a new character to make up for Luca’s exit, and Powell continuing to come to grips with the near-death episode she had in season 7.
Developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan, the show holds the unique distinction of being revived twice by CBS. S.W.A.T. was canceled in May 2023 but got re-commissioned for a season 7. The seventh season was supposed to be the final season, but CBS later backtracked and approved season 8, which is likely to be the conclusion of the series.
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