Sony Pictures Television/CBS

CBS cancels "S.W.A.T." for a third time

By Chris Morgan | Last updated Mar 7, 2025 4:19 PM ET

It can feel like TV shows never really die these days, but usually that's because they find life elsewhere. By "elsewhere" we mostly mean Netflix, but not necessarily. Rarely, a network will reverse course on a cancellation and bring a show back. That can even work out on occasion. Never forget that FOX canceled "Family Guy" after its third season. Smash cut to: "Family Guy" has now aired 23 seasons on FOX and is the network's most-successful show this side of "The Simpsons."

That being said, it is rare for a network to give a show multiple reprisals, and CBS has been generous to "S.W.A.T." That generosity is over...maybe. The network has canceled "S.W.A.T." for a third time.

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"S.W.A.T." stars (starred?) CBS staple Shemar Moore as, well, a S.W.A.T. guy for the LAPD. The show is a reimagining of a show of the same name that aired briefly on ABC in the 1970s. It was co-developed by Shawn Ryan, who is most notable for creating the acclaimed cable drama "The Shield." He also wrote for "Nash Bridges," so he was no stranger to the CBS procedural vibe.

CBS has been feeling squirrelly about "S.W.A.T." for a bit. The network canceled the show after the sixth season, but then decided to bring it back. CBS was saying that the seventh season would be the show's last hurrah even before episodes began to air, but then, lo and behold, and eighth season arrived. That season is still airing, but CBS is claiming it's done for good this time. Of course, we've clearly been down this path before.

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CBS is in chopping block mode right now. The network just canceled not one, but two "FBI" spinoffs, and those are Dick Wolf shows. Networks tend to enjoy being in the Dick Wolf business. As the Variety piece hat-tipped below notes, all three of these shows come from outside studios, so one wonders if CBS/Paramount wants to keep things more in-house. Vertical integration never dies in Hollywood, baby!

(h/t Variety)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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