Was SWAT Canceled? The Ups and Downs of the CBS Show

There’s been a big shakeup to the CBS lineup, and many are wondering whether or not S.W.A.T. has survived.

Was ‘S.W.A.T.’ Canceled?

S.W.A.T. has officially been canceled. In March 2025, CBS decided to end the show after 8 seasons.

“It’s heartbreaking news, primarily because it’s been such an immense pleasure working with this cast and crew to put out a show that we’ve always been proud of,” the program’s showrunner and executive producer Andrew Dettmann said in a statement. “They are truly an extraordinary group of people who have all worked so hard and have been so dedicated for all these eight seasons, overcoming countless challenges. I can’t give them enough credit.”

Star Shemar Moore also spoke out in an Instagram video following the heartbreaking news.

“I wasn’t going to do this, but I can’t help it,” he told his followers. “S.W.A.T. here we are, season 8, three weeks away from the finale. We are canceled again. It sucks. It’s sad.”

However, he assured fans he would do everything he could to shop the show around to other networks.

“Netflix, if you’re interested in a show that is in autopilot, the world is watching,” he continued. “We’d love to come play. NBC, FOX, ABC, hey you want to come flirt with me? You’re invited to the barbecue. Pick your favorite restaurant. I will pay the bill.”

Fans were absolutely devastated after learning there would not be a season 9.

“I’m so sad! They can’t cancel y’all again!” one fan wrote underneath Shemar’s Instagram video.

“So sorry to hear this news. Read it earlier. You gave it a great 8 seasons. You’ll be great in whatever you do next because you are committed to your craft. Leap and the net will appear, right?” another said.

The Ups and Downs of ‘S.W.A.T.’ Over the Years

The show has certainly gone through its fair share of ups and downs through the seasons.

S.W.A.T has had quite an interesting run on CBS. It was previously cancelled and uncanceled twice, thanks to rallying fans and the show’s stars who were determined to keep it going.

Ahead of the season 6 finale, CBS announced that the show was canceled, but Shemar posted a seven-minute video on Instagram slamming the network for the decision.

“I’m a little bit sad. I’m a lot a bit sad. … S.W.A.T. got canceled,” he said in the video. “It makes no sense. Look up the articles, read the articles. We are the best show on Friday nights at 8 o’clock for CBS. The last two years we have been killing it, us and the fire show [Fire Country]. … We’ve done nothing wrong. We did everything that was asked for.”

“I hope we can have a kumbaya and come back together and continue this show because it’s a good time for families across the world,” he added. “If it is the end, life will go on. I’m not worried about me. I care about my family, my crew, the writers, the producers, the caterers, the wardrobe, the sound mixers, the teamsters, the construction crew.”

The cancellation was then overturned by CBS. The show returned to the network for season 7 in February 2024. Season 7 was marketed as the show’s last season. However, that decision was later overturned.

“This is how determined and in sync the crew, but especially the writers [are],” he told TV Insider in April 2024. “What’s crazy is we’ve had to change nothing — absolutely nothing. We wrote this show to where it could be a farewell goodbye. When you get up to the finale, you’ll see when you watch it, you’ll go, oh, this was their way of saying goodbye. But it was also our way of saying we could still keep going. We said, this will either be our goodbye or this will be our new beginning.”

S.W.A.T. returned to CBS in October 2024 with season 8 after all of the fan support.

“Here at CBS, we always ‘stay liquid’ and love a good dramatic twist, especially when it leads to an eighth season of S.W.A.T.!,” Amy Reisenbach, President of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “The show continues to resonate with viewers thanks to our talented cast led by Shemar Moore and our amazing writers and producers who keep the show relevant and action-packed. We’re very pleased to renew it again and incredibly grateful to our partners at Sony, CBS Studios and Shemar for working so closely with us to bring it back for next season.”

“Led by the unstoppable Shemar Moore, S.W.A.T. has captivated viewers since its premiere in 2017, and with every renewal, we are amazed at how passionate and dedicated the fans of this show are,” Katherine Pope, President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, said. “Thank you to Amy Reisenbach and our partners at CBS for continuing to believe in the show and the incredible work of the cast and crew. Everyone here at Sony Pictures Television is so proud of the world that Shawn, Aaron, Andy and the entire S.W.A.T. team have created, and we congratulate them on coming back for another year. Roll SWAT!”

The CBS Lineup Changed a Bit

In November 2024, CBS revealed its TV schedule for early 2025. It was announced that S.W.A.T. would be moving into Blue Bloods’ spot in the Friday night lineup at 10 p.m. starting in January 2025 for the remainder of the season. After 14 seasons, Blue Bloods got the ax by CBS, much to the dismay of the cast and crew.

Months later, the network announced that FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International were both canceled.

Shemar Moore Spoke Out on the Future of the Show Before Cancellation

Shemar spoke out about whether or not he thought the show would continue on past season 8, prior to the cancellation news.

“To get canceled twice in a row and to get uncanceled twice in a row, I give kudos to me running my mouth on social media,” he told People in November 2024. “Nothing lasts forever, but I fight.”

He has been portraying the character Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. since 2017. “I’m the leader of this team, which I’m very proud of,” he said of his character.

And it seemed like his costars wanted to keep going on the show for as long as possible.

“Everybody at S.W.A.T. wants season 13. And I’m like, “You’ve got to talk to my knees, boy. It ain’t no joke,” the Soul Train alum told the outlet at the time. “Hey, I’m 54. It ain’t like it was. It’s harder and harder running around, jumping over cars and playing tough guy and trying to keep that six-pack together.”