S.W.A.T. concluded its eighth and final season on May 16, 2025, but many fans aren’t ready to let go of the hit police drama. After all, it was canceled not once, not twice, but three times, and two of those cancellations were reversed. So, was the third cancellation the real deal, or can viewers expect to see S.W.A.T. return for season 9? Closer breaks down everything to know about the show’s future.
CBS Canceled ‘S.W.A.T.’ in March 2025
CBS called it quits on the action series for the third time in March 2025, a few weeks ahead of season 8’s finale.
“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 and executive producer Andrew Dettmann said in a statement at the time. “They are truly an extraordinary group of people who have all worked so hard and have been so dedicated for all these eight seasons, overcoming countless challenges. I can’t give them enough credit.”
Shemar Moore, who played Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, also shared a video discussing the news on Instagram.
“I wasn’t going to do this, but I can’t help it,” he said. “S.W.A.T., here we are, season 8, three weeks away from the finale. We are canceled again. It sucks. It’s sad.”
Shemar Moore
Is ‘S.W.A.T.’ Renewed for Season 9?
While many fans were holding out hope that CBS would reverse its decision to cancel S.W.A.T., as it did ahead of seasons 7 and 8, this did not happen after the third cancellation. However, Sony Pictures TV Studios prexy Katherine Pope said that the creators did attempt to sell the show to other networks.
“It felt very clear from CBS that this was the end,” she explained to Variety on May 22, 2025. “It was a difficult decision for them, but it felt very final. So we set out to sell the show elsewhere. We tried really hard, and we felt like we got close at a place or two, but we just couldn’t quite get it over the line.”
Though S.W.A.T. was not renewed for season 9 at CBS or another network, fans will still get to watch the beloved series in another form.
‘S.W.A.T.’ Is Getting a Spinoff
A S.W.A.T. spinoff series called S.W.A.T. Exiles was announced shortly after the series finale. Shemar is set to reprise his role as Hondo.
“After a high-profile mission goes sideways, Hondo is pulled out of forced retirement to lead a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits,” the logline reads. “Hondo must bridge a generational divide, navigate clashing personalities, and turn a squad of outsiders into a team capable of protecting the city and saving the program that made him who he is.”
S.W.A.T. Exiles will have 10 episodes, although it does not yet have a home on any network or streaming service as of publication. Katherine told Variety that the series plans to begin production in August 2025.