Why Was S.W.A.T. Canceled — and Why Does Shemar Moore Disagree with the Decision?

S.W.A.T. has come to an end.

After eight seasons, the CBS police procedural following Sgt. Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore) and his Los Angeles-based 20 Squad will air its final episode on May 16, 2025.

“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,” showrunner Andrew Dettman told Variety in March 2025.

The drama, which is a co-production of Sony Pictures TV and CBS studios, stars Moore alongside Jay Harrington as Sgt. David “Deacon” Kay, Alex Russell as Officer Jim Street and David Lim as Officer Victor Tran.

S.W.A.T. premiered in 2017 as a revival of the 1970s cop series of the same name. It was canceled after six seasons, but was rescued for a seventh season due to viewer demand. The series was greenlit for an eighth season in 2024.

“To get canceled twice in a row and to get uncanceled twice in a row, I give kudos to me running my mouth on social media,” Moore told PEOPLE before filming season 8. “Nothing lasts forever, but I fight.”

Sadly, that fight is seemingly over after Deadline reported in March 2025 that the series had been canceled for the third time.

Here’s everything to know about why S.W.A.T. was canceled and what star Shemar Moore had to say about the show’s future.

Why was S.W.A.T. originally canceled? 

Despite consistently high ratings, CBS first canceled the crime drama in May 2023 before the season 6 finale premiered. Executive producer Shawn Ryan previously told The Hollywood Reporter’s TV Top 5 podcast that if S.W.A.T. wasn’t renewed for another season, it was more to do with the changing “economics of the business” than ratings.

Deadline reported in April 2024 that the show was originally cancelled due to a licensing issue between CBS and Sony. When Sony was initially not willing to take on a renewal at a flat license fee, CBS went up on the fee but cut the length of the season to 13 episodes, which led to Sony passing.

However, the two sides ultimately worked it out, and three days after the cancellation announcement, CBS and Sony executives released a joint statement saying they had “listened” to viewers and decided to renew the series for another season.

“S.W.A.T. has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following,” the statement read. “We are pleased that we found a way to bring it back and give closure to the show’s storylines and characters, which audiences deserve.”

Why was S.W.A.T. brought back for seasons 7 and 8?

When CBS renewed S.W.A.T. for a seventh season, it was slated to be the series’ last. But in April 2024, the network picked up the crime drama for an eighth season.

Deadline reported at the time that the show’s consistently strong ratings — delivering over 8 million viewers per episode — were the reason it was saved again. Though Moore told PEOPLE that he knew S.W.A.T. would have to end some time, he was happy to get to play Hondo for another 22 episodes.

“It is not going to last forever,” the actor said. “There will be life after S.W.A.T. for me and many others. But right now, I’m not done being Hondo and bringing this show to life.”

What has Shemar Moore said about the S.W.A.T. finale? 

In March 2025, Moore posted an Instagram Reel reacting to the news that S.W.A.T. had been canceled for a third time.

“We are canceled, again. It sucks,” the actor said in the video, noting the unique history S.W.A.T. has after being canceled and revived twice in back-to-back seasons. “How many shows get to say that? … We defied the odds and made a hit television show that the world loved to watch.”

Moore continued to say that even though he thought CBS was making the wrong choice, he thanked the network for airing the many shows he’s starred in throughout his career, like Criminal Minds. The actor claimed he’s “not done” yet and told Netflix to “holler at your boy.”

“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 said.

Where can I watch S.W.A.T.? 

The two-hour series finale of S.W.A.T. aired on May 16 on CBS.

The first seven seasons of S.W.A.T. are available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video, while season 8 is available to stream on Paramount+.