While Niko Pepaj is not a new cast member, fans will be seeing more of him in Season 8 as Officer Miguel Alfaro. The actor, who joined S.W.A.T. in Season 6 in a recurring capacity, has been upped to a series regular for Season 8, thus fulfilling his character’s dream of becoming a permanent member of Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson‘s (Shemar Moore) 20-squad. Thus far on the show. Miguel’s storylines have mainly revolved around his rivalry with Jim Street (Alex Russell), whom he used to work with at the Long Beach Police Department.
Next up is newcomer Annie Ilonzeh, who will be recurring in Season 8 as Devin Gamble, a rookie who was “born into an L.A. family deeply entrenched in crime, leaving her with a fierce determination to break free of her blood legacy.” Now, decades after she moved to Oakland to escape her family’s reputation, Hondo has brought her home to L.A. to “become an integral new member of 20-Squad, knowing her inner strength, intuition, and street smarts will make her an invaluable part of the team.” Ilonzeh might look familiar to primetime fans, as she recurred on Season 7 and Season 8 of Chicago Fire as Emily Foster, a paramedic who briefly replaced Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund). Her character left Ambulance 61 in the Season 8 finale to follow her dreams and go back to medical school. Emily was briefly replaced by Gianna Mackey (Adriyan Rae), and later, Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith).
News of Pepaj’s promotion and Ilonzeh’s casting comes shortly after S.W.A.T. underwent a major casting shakeup in Season 7, which was originally supposed to be the final season. Prior to its reverse cancellation, original cast members Kenny Johnson, who played Dominique Luca, and Alex Russell, who starred as Jim Street, were written off. Luca was forced to retire after he suffered a career-ending injury in Episode 7, while Street transferred back to the Long Beach Police Department in Episode 5 to take a leadership position.
The two characters written off to give them a “proper curtain call,” as showrunner Andrew Dettmann explained to TVLine ahead of the Season 7 premiere. “Looking at [Season 7] being the final 13 [episodes], we wanted to give everybody their proper curtain call,” Dettman explained. “I’m really excited about the episodes we have for [Luca and Street]. The idea for the final 13 was that, if this was the end for us, nobody feels like they were underserved. There are some really good episodes for Alex and Kenny, for Street and Luca.”
Additionally, Rochelle Aytes, who joined the show in Season 3 as Nichelle Carmichael, will not be returning as a series regular. The actress booked a role on CBS’ new medical drama Watson, but she is expected to make a few appearances in Season 8 since Nichelle is now Hondo’s wife and the mother of his child.
Jay Harrington‘s character, David “Deacon” Kay, also retired in Season 7, but the actor has been confirmed to return for Season 8, along with series regulars David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit and Anna Enger Ritch.
As for Johnson and Russell’s future on the show, Moore previously hinted that we might not have seen the last of them. “Nobody DIED!!! They can always come back!!! Doesn’t mean they will… but ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH NUMBERS!!! Think about it!!” he wrote on Instagram prior to the show’s un-cancellation.
