“S.W.A.T.” has become the latest victim of CBS’s unforgiving ‘kill them in the cradle’ cancellation strategy on Thursday primetime.
The action drama was pulled off air following the eighth season, the third time the series met its seasonal curtain. Leading man Shemar Moore said, “We have done what was considered impossible.”
“We have been canceled again. Does it sting? Yes. Is it unfortunate? Yes,” Moore said in an Instagram video posted on Friday.
“We were pulled together and sent out the door uncanceled two years in a row. I’m not an expert on shows, but I doubt many can make that claim. We can safely say that this is one couch we managed to leave without being burned at,” Moore added.
“I had to speak to my crew today—troubling business, to say the least. ‘We’re done. There’s nothing I can phrase this in a way that will shape it to sweeten it, dress it up in good robes, or make it ‘optimistic’—because there is nothing you can do. But on the other end, I’m proud. Strangely, I’m proud. Because we managed to create a freaking monster of a television show that people ate up and wanted to watch again,” Moore shared.
The focus is on LAPD SWAT Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, acted by Moore, and his elite team that works in Los Angeles.
CBS unexpectedly canceled the show after its sixth season in 2023, despite it being renewed several times earlier.
The network changed its tune days later and called for a “seventh and final season.” before another season was ordered last April.
The final nail in the coffin for the drama came after CBS did not hold contract talks with SONY Pictures Television, unlike in previous years, Deadline reported.
The show, which airs on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET, averages .28 in the 18-49 demographic, according to the TV Ratings Guide.
Executive producer and showrunner Andrew Dettmann said he was left heartbroken by the news but thanked the cast and crew he worked with during the show’s run.
“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,” Dettmann told the outlet. “I can’t give them enough credit. I feel so privileged to have been a part of the ‘S.W.A.T.’ family.”
Dettmann claimed the show was loved by network executives but alluded to a “corporate change” happening in the industry that could’ve played a role in the types of shows that are being greenlit or renewed.
Moore addressed the network, saying it could always change its mind.
“I say to CBS, if you’re done – I know it’s about money, optics, politics – I don’t think you’re making the right choice,” the show’s star said. “But if you are done, I say thank you, genuinely, honestly from my heart.”
Moore gave 90 percent of the credit for his 31 years in acting to the network between series including “Criminal Minds,” “Young and the Restless” and “SWAT.”
The actor suggested to CBS they would make “a lot of people smile” if the executives changed their mind and did another about-face on the show’s future.
The show, which airs on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET, averages .28 in the 18-49 demographic, according to the TV Ratings Guide.CBS Studios
He even flirted with the prospect of the show being picked up by another studio or network including Netflix, NBC, Fox or ABC.
“If you’re interested in a show that’s on autopilot, that the world is watching, we’d love to come play,” he said.
Regardless of the series’ fate, Moore says he is excited for the “next chapter” of his life with his family including his daughter.
“I ain’t done, my knees are ready, I’ve lost 20 pounds, I’m ready to go.”
