The S.W.A.T. team will be deployed no more, now that CBS has cancelled the Friday-night cop drama after six seasons, TVLine has learned. The Season 6 finale, airing May 19 at 8/7c, will now serve as the series finale.
“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,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said in a statement. “We sincerely thank them for their incredible work and passion and also thank our dedicated fans who tuned in every week.”
The Shemar Moore-fronted ensemble drama this season has been averaging 6.8 million total viewers and a 0.7 rating, up (6%) in audience and off just a tenth in the demo from its Season 5 numbers.
Out of the 14 drama series that CBS has aired this TV season, S.W.A.T. ranks No. 10 in total audience (besting the already-renewed So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas, the sunsetting NCIS: LA and midseason freshman True Lies), while tying for No. 3 in the demo.
S.W.A.T. of course topped TVLine’s “Which Bubble Shows Should Be Saved?” poll this year (and for a second time since 2020) by earning 15 percent of your votes. But as Deadline reported in March, the long-running Sony TV/CBS Studios co-production was facing some belt-tightening, before any renewal was handed out. (Blue Bloods similarly saw its cast take double-digit pay cuts in order to secure its own renewal, for a 14th season.)
TVLine’s Renewal Scorecard has been updated to reflect the news. Will you miss Hondo and the S.W.A.T. team? Hit the comments to share your thoughts on the cancellation.
