(Photo: Bill Inoshita/CBS)

Hondo and his team won’t be back in action for the 2025-26 TV season. CBS has cancelled the SWAT series for a third and likely final time, so there won’t be a ninth season. The show’s eighth season will finish airing in May. There are nine episodes remaining.

A police action drama series, the SWAT TV show stars Shemar Moore, Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Anna Enger Ritch, and Niko Pepaj. The crime thriller centers on Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Moore), a Los Angeles native and former Marine who’s been tapped to lead a new “last stop” Special Weapons And Tactics unit (S.W.A.T.). The rest of the team includes seasoned officer David “Deacon” Kay (Harrington), informant-connected Victor Tan (Lim), tough and loyal Zoe Powell (Ritch), and Miguel “Miko” Alfaro (Pepaj), a headstrong officer who overcame a troubled childhood. Responsible for the management of all Metro Division S.W.A.T. units, Commander Robert Hicks (St. Esprit) is a senior LAPD official with the Special Operations Bureau.

Airing on Friday nights, the eighth season of SWAT averages a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.95 million viewers (includes DVR playback through 3:00 AM). Compared to season seven, that’s down by 20% in the demo and down by 15% in viewership.

This is the third time that the police drama has been cancelled. It was announced that the CBS series had been cancelled at the end of season six but SWAT received a reprieve due to viewer upset. It was renewed for a seventh and final season but CBS had a change of heart and worked out a deal with Sony Pictures Television for an eighth season. This time around, the network reportedly cancelled SWAT without engaging in any negotiations for a possible renewal.

“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,” said executive producer/showrunner Andrew Dettmann. “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 SWAT family.”

“It’s been an extraordinary privilege to work on SWAT for eight seasons and tell the stories of Hondo and 20-Squad,” said executive producer Shawn Ryan. “I thank our fans, Shemar Moore, the rest of our cast, our producers, Sony Pictures Television, CBS Studios and CBS for the opportunity. 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 now is for them.”

What do you think? Have you kept up with the SWAT TV series on CBS? Are you disappointed this action drama hasn’t been renewed for a ninth season?