The big picture
-
SWAT
was unexpectedly canceled by CBS after season 6, but renewed for seasons 7 and 8. - The show faced ratings issues but regained momentum after being moved to a Friday time slot.
- Despite the uncertainty,
SWAT
continues to thrive and expand beyond streaming with a deal with Netflix.
SWAT it may never have been the flagship show of CBSbut this has managed to hold its own over the years. The series, which focuses on the daily life of a Los Angeles SWAT team, is known for delivering strong ratings for the network, thanks to its fast-paced storytelling and a reliable cast led by Shemar Moore. SWAT it has not been on the air while CBS is showing it NCIS i Blue Blood, but that doesn't matter: the series became one of the network's most popular shows, even experiencing a resurgence after CBS moved SWAT from Thursday to Friday night.
That's why it came as such a shock to many when CBS suddenly announced the cancellation of SWAT after six seasons. Fortunately, the network eventually reversed its decision, opting to move forward with Season 7 of the series, and while it was initially understood to be the show's final season, CBS renewed SWAT for Season 8. Since then, the network has had everyone wondering why it tried to destroy the show in the first place.
Sony brought 'SWAT' to CBS in the first place
Hollywood has been intrigued SWAT and its inner workings for as long as anyone can remember. In the 1970s, Aaron Spelling i Leonard Goldberg produced his own SWAT series; although it only ran for one season, it stayed on the air long enough to inspire a 2003 film of the same name. This film attracted several Hollywood stars, with Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool Ji Michelle Rodriguez leading the cast. A few years later, Sony arrived at Shawn Ryanthe Emmy-winning producer behind it The shieldwith plans to take SWAT return to the big screen and essentially remake the film.
At that time, the studio already had Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, better known for his work CSI: NY, Southland i Sleepy Hollow, about the project. They thought it would be a solid idea for Ryan, who was due to renew his overall deal with Sony, to come on board as well. Aside from Ryan, the studio also tapped fast and furious franchise director Justin Lin, who signed on as one of the show's producers, and together, the three men launched SWAT to CBS and sold the network there. CBS even agreed to pay a penalty if it decided not to put the show on the air; this, of course, did not happen.
'SWAT' gained new viewers with a time slot change
when SWAT premiered in 2017, CBS instantly knew it had another hit on its hands as the show's pilot episode, which Lin directed, hit a ratings record as it was watched by 6, 82 million viewers when it first aired on November 2. CBS Entertainment he also revealed later SWAT recorded 10.52 million viewers in its Live+7 ratings, the highest audience recorded during its time period. Aside from the veteran producers and filmmakers working on the show, the series had another secret weapon: its main star, Shemar Moore. At the time SWAT aired, Moore had already established herself as one of the most bankable TV stars in the business following her move to CBS's other hit crime drama, criminal minds. During an interview with Task XRyan even said that getting Moore on board the show was the “secret sauce” to make SWAT a success
At CBS, SWAT faced stiff competition from the start, as the network was already home to several highly rated crime dramas. Following its premiere, the show's ratings during the first season remained stable, averaging 5.89 million viewers over its 22 episodes. It didn't work as well as NCIS or blue blood, but he performed enough to warrant a second season. During the 2018-2019 period, CBS had already been the number one network for 11 consecutive seasons and its scripted series lineup played a big role in making that happen. That said, CBS also suffered a drop in ratings throughout its programming as the broadcast industry grappled with the rise of streaming. For SWATthis meant a slightly lower average rating for season 2, and as the broadcast networks continued to suffer, the series' ratings dropped even further, although CBS continued to renew it.
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The public thought he was gone for good.
Finally, CBS decided to shake things up, by moving SWAT. in the Friday night timeslot he joined Blue Blood i Magnum P.I As it turned out, this one move was all that SWAT he needed to regain his momentum. Following the switch, the series saw a 35 percent increase in season 5 ratings, averaging 4.28 million viewers. Just one year later, SWAT saw another 17 percent increase in season 6 ratings, averaging an estimated 5.01 million viewers per episode. Despite the recovery, however, there were problems ahead.
Despite the resurgence in ratings, “SWAT” was not safe from cancellation
After the relative success of SWAT Going into Season 6, there were reasonable expectations that the crime drama would pick up for at least another season. Unbeknownst to fans, however, the situation had changed dramatically behind the scenes. Broadcast networks had been struggling to keep up with streaming and shows were either facing the ax or facing pay cuts. For example, Blue blood agreed to a 25 percent pay cut just to move forward with season 14 (CBS has also canceled the series). Meanwhile, the long NCIS spin off, NCIS: Los Angeleswas canceled after its own 14-season run.
As to SWATthere were already some signs of trouble when the head of Sony TV, Katherine Popeinformed CBS that it could not offer the network a lower license fee for Season 6. CBS previously negotiated a reduced fee for SWAT previous seasons, but not this time. A few weeks later, the network presented Sony with a counteroffer: they would pay a higher license fee, but the show would only run for 13 episodes. In accordance with The Hollywood Reporterthe offer wasn't good enough for Sony, and eventually CBS informed the studio that it was canceling SWAT. When news of the show's cancellation spread, it sparked strong reactions from fans as well as Ryan and Moore. Ryan even later revealed that he was never told about CBS's counteroffer. The show's co-creator then approached the network and informed them that he could, in fact, offer a shorter season.
CBS, in turn, agreed to reverse the cancellation and return SWAT for what was understood to be the show's final season. However, the network picked up the crime drama for Season 8. Yes SWAT whether it will continue beyond the 2024 to 2025 season remains to be seen, but the show has already found life beyond streaming following Sony's deal with Netflix.
SWAT is available to stream on Netflix in the United States
Watch on Netflix
