Un-Canceled Again! ‘SWAT’ Defies Death With Surprise Season 8 Renewal at CBS

After being canceled, then un-canceled, then producing what was billed as its final season, CBS‘ SWAT is getting yet another new lease on life.

The network has picked up an eighth season of crime drama starring Shemar Moore. The decision to continue the series, a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios, comes as a surprise: CBS has billed this season of SWAT as its final one after negotiations with Sony over licensing fees and a reduced episode order. As recently as Monday, when CBS sent out its season finale dates, it was billing the May 17 episode of SWAT as a “series finale.”

Now, though, the series is set to return in 2024-25, joining fellow CBS dramas Fire Country, NCIS, NCIS: Sydney, Tracker and all three members of the FBI franchise on next season’s roster (comedies Ghosts and The Neighborhood have also been renewed, and the second half of Blue Bloods’ final season is also slated for fall).

“Here at CBS, we always ‘stay liquid’ and love a good dramatic twist, especially when it leads to an eighth season of SWAT,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “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 and CBS Studios and Shemar for working so closely with us to bring it back for next season.”

Added Sony Pictures TV Studios president Katherine Pope, “Led by the unstoppable Shemar Moore, SWAT 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. 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.”

An episode count for season eight hasn’t been determined yet, so whether SWAT gets a full-season run or comes in at 13 episodes again remains to be seen. A big reason for the back-and-forth over the show’s fate a year ago had to do with Sony asking to hold the line on license fees while CBS asked to reduce its episode order as it looked to cut overhead on scripted series. A deal was eventually reached for a 13-episode season.

“It’s a privilege to get to deliver more SWAT stories to our incredible fans,” said executive producer and co-showrunner Shawn Ryan. “This season eight pickup is a testament to our showrunner Andy Dettmann, Shemar Moore, the rest of our talented cast and our dedicated crew who continue to produce television that resonates with so many people. We’re grateful to CBS, Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios for the opportunity.”

Added Dettman, “Shemar and I had many conversations throughout the production of season seven, confident that if we continued to tell great stories punctuated by SWAT’s signature action, our amazing fans would stay with us, giving us a good shot at another season. At the end of the day, this is the well-deserved payoff for all the time, energy and effort put in by an incredible cast and crew working with the constant support of our partners at Sony Pictures Television and everyone at CBS.”

For the season, SWAT is averaging 8.8 million viewers over five weeks of viewing, including streaming on Paramount+ and CBS apps. That’s up 11 percent versus last season.

“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,” said Moore, who is also an executive producer. “I am so grateful to the fans around the world who have supported, watched, enjoyed and rooted for SWAT. It is entirely because of this support that SWAT will continue to shine!”

Ryan and Aaron Rashaan Thomas created SWAT, which is based on the 1975 ABC series of the same name. Ryan and Dettmann executive produce with Justin Lin, Neal H. Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Billy Gierhart, Moore and James Scura.

Keep track of all the renewals and cancellations at the networks with THR’s broadcast scorecard.