SWAT season 8: Release date speculation, cast and latest news
When will Shemar Moore's Hondo and the rest of the team be returning for more adventures?
Few shows have had quite as bumpy a ride as SWAT, which has managed to come back from cancellation twice, and is now returning for its eighth season in the US.
The new season once again stars Shemar Moore as Hondo, while there have been some shake-ups within the rest of the cast, meaning there's a slightly different team this time around.
However, the series continues to follow the team who run the Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the LAPD, and is still set in the same universe as co-creator Shawn Ryan's crime drama series The Shield.
As to whether it will be continuing beyond season 8, Ryan recently told Deadline that while he believes it is "beloved in the executive ranks at CBS" and "beloved by our audience", he is unsure about the future.
"I don’t know what the plans are," he explained. "I don’t know what the criteria for renewal is going to be. It seems like it could be much different than years past."
"We’re just going to continue to make the best show we can that our audience loves," he said, "and we’ll see where the chips fall. And that’s what we’ve done the last few seasons. We’re really proud of the legacy of that show."
Filming on season 8 was recently delayed by the Los Angeles wildfires, but it's uncertain whether this has affected the show's release schedule.
So what do we know about season 8 thus far? Read on for everything you need to know about the future of SWAT.
Will there be a SWAT season 8?
There will! That may be surprising to some, as it was previously announced that SWAT's seventh season would also be its last.
In actual fact, the series was initially cancelled in 2023 following season 6, but this decision was reversed at the last minute to give the show a send-off with a seventh and final season.
Following a campaign led by Moore, the show's other stars and its fans, the show was saved once again, and in April 2024 was renewed for season 8.
Moore said in a statement following the news: "SWAT IS BACK! BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! I am so proud of this show and the people and variables it has taken to make this show what it is and has become. I am so grateful to the fans around the world who have supported, watched, enjoyed and rooted for SWAT!
"It is entirely because of this support that SWAT will continue to shine! This is still a dream job for me… I love my SWAT crew, cast and writers and producers – we have made an incredible, fun, exciting, provocative and heartwarming show for the world to enjoy. Thank you to CBS and SONY for believing in SWAT and giving us this opportunity to shine!"
It is expected that the season will consist of 22 episodes and, notably, CBS is not calling this the show's final season, meaning there could even be a ninth outing in the offing.
The renewal news came just before filming wrapped on season 8, but, in an interview with TVLine, showrunner Andrew Dettmann confirmed that nothing was changed from the show's initial plan.
He said: "No, this was the direction we had pushed anyway, because we thought if we end the last episode with that nice upswing of, like, 'Damn it, this is the best team!,' it ends in a way that’s ready to go forward.
"That was the plan most of the way through. It was great to get the news when we did about Season 8, but it really didn’t do a lot to affect the last episode."
When could SWAT season 8 be released?
While SWAT season 8 is debuting in the US on CBS on Friday 31st January 2025, we don't yet have a confirmed release date here in the UK.
In the UK, seasons have tended to follow on Sky Max and NOW some months afterwards, meaning we could be waiting until some time in summer or autumn for new episodes.
We will keep this page updated once we have any more concrete news regarding the air dates for season 8 in the UK.
Who will be back to star in SWAT season 8?
Many of the stars of SWAT will be returning for season 8, including Shemar Moore as Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson Jr, David Lim as Officer Victor Tan, Patrick St Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks and Anna Enger Ritch as Officer Zoe Powell.
Jay Harrington will also be back as Sergeant David 'Deacon' Kay, after a surprise decision to stay at the end of the season 8 finale. The character had been expected to retire, but in an interview with TVLine, showrunner Andrew Dettman explained that it was always the plan for him to change his mind.
He explained: "Yeah, he [Deacon] was always going to be there. We knew Jay [Harrington] would be around. That was the one thing where I questioned myself a bit, the storyline of him retiring and coming back.
"I was a little worried after losing Street and Luca, that even faking that we were losing Deacon would turn people off. I’m hoping it didn’t, and I don’t think it did. So, yeah, Deacon’s back and is part of the team going forward."
As Dettman references, there are a number of cast members who won't be returning, most prominently Alex Russell, who played Officer Jim Street and Kenny Johnson, who played Officer Dominique Luca.
Moore spoke with Deadline about these departures and the potential for the actors and characters to return, saying: "It’s hard to say goodbye to a bunch of wonderful people. Alex Russell, Kenny Johnson and a couple of seasons back we lost Lina Esco.
"Change is hard; so now we have some OGs, myself as Hondo, Deacon [Jay Harrington], Hicks [Patrick St. Esprit], Tan [David Lim] and some newbies. But regarding those people that you miss, nobody died. And in the world of Hollywood, anything can happen."
Meanwhile, Nichelle Carmichael star Rochelle Aytes won't be back as a series regular, but is still expected to pop up in a guest capacity.
However, in place of these missing characters will be a new star, Annie Ilonzeh as Devin Gamble, while Niko Pepaj has become a series regular as Officer Miguel Alfaro.
Here's a full list of the actors and characters we currently know will be in SWAT season 8:
- Shemar Moore as Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson Jr
- Jay Harrington as Sergeant David 'Deacon' Kay
- David Lim as Officer Victor Tan
- Patrick St Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks
- Anna Enger Ritch as Officer Zoe Powell
- Niko Pepaj as Officer Miguel Alfaro
- Annie Ilonzeh as Devin Gamble
- Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle Carmichael
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Is there a trailer for SWAT season 8?
We have got a short teaser of the cast, including Shemar Moore, celebrating the news that the show will be returning.
You can watch that teaser right here.
SWAT season 8 will air on Sky Max and NOW. Get one month free Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
