Has ‘S.W.A.T.’ Really Been Canceled At CBS For The Third Time? Shemar Moore Calls On Netflix to Save It

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CBS has targeted S.W.A.T. in its sights for cancellation, again.

Deadline reports that S.W.A.T., starring Shemar Moore, has been canceled in its eighth season. The series was canceled once before in May 2023 before CBS decided against it. It was then announced that Season 7 would be its last before it got renewed once more.

Why ‘S.W.A.T.’ keeps getting canceled and revived

According to the article, Sony Pictures Television had been able to save S.W.A.T. for the past two years by creating financial deals CBS liked. The deals led to CBS renewing S.W.A.T. until last year, but now, CBS is ready to stop renewing the series.

As previously reported, CBS is trying to make room for new series, including some new spinoffs, and it needs to clean house. S.W.A.T. became a prime target because, as Deadline states, the series has the lowest ratings out of all of the other “on the bubble” dramas, despite its loyal following.

Showrunners react to CBS’ decision

Executive producer and showrunner Andrew Dettmann said in a statement how “heartbreaking” the cancellation is.

“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,” he said. “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. I feel so privileged to have been a part of the S.W.A.T. family.”

Fellow executive producer and showrunner Shawn Ryan also expressed concern about the impact on the show’s crew, who will now be looking for new jobs.

“It’s been an extraordinary privilege to work on S.W.A.T. for eight seasons and tell the stories of Hondo and 20-Squad. I think our fans, Shemar Moore, the rest of our cast, our producers, Sony Pictures Television, CBS Studios and CBS for the opportunity,” he said. “Most of all I want to thank our tireless, dedicated crew who made our writers, directors and cast always look good. My greatest concern right is for them.”

Shemar Moore pushes to save S.W.A.T. one more time

Moore has also spoken out about the cancellation, opening up to Netflix about the opportunity to bring S.W.A.T. back to life once again.

While specifying to CBS how he felt the network wasn’t “making the right choice” by letting S.W.A.T. go, he said on Instagram how he does not want to go quietly into that good night of cancellation.

“Hey Netflix, how you doing? Let me just remind you that in a very short period of time, once upon a time ago…it only took us about two weeks to go from number 15…to number one,” he said. “And then we stayed in your top 10, top 15, for about six months, nine months, maybe a year. So Netflix, if you’re interested in a show that is on autopilot that the world is watching, we’d love to come play.”

He also added a shout-out to other networks, saying, “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.”

Perhaps the S.W.A.T. story isn’t over, but for right now, it looks like Moore and the crew have gone on their final mission.