The show that will replace Blue Bloods in its time slot has been announced. The CBS police procedural, which premiered in 2010, follows the Reagans, an intergenerational law enforcement family who live and work in New York City. The show is set to end with the ongoing season 14, an 18-episode season that ran its first 10 episodes between February and May and has now returned with its final eight episodes, which are airing on Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET through December 13.
The core Blue Bloods cast has remained unusually consistent over the course of its many-year run. The cast members who have starred in all 14 seasons include Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, Bridget Moynahan as Erin Reagan, Will Estes as Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou as Henry Reagan, and Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan. Additionally, long-running cast members Marisa Ramirez (as Maria Baez) and Vanessa Ray (as Eddie Janko-Reagan) have been playing their roles since season 3 and season 4 respectively.
S.W.A.T. Is Moving Into Blue Bloods' Time Slot
The Shows Are Part Of The Same Genre
S.W.A.T. has been set to replace Blue Bloods in the CBS lineup. The show, which is also a procedural, follows the efforts of a Los Angeles-based Special Weapons and Tactics unit and features a robust ensemble cast that includes Shemar Moore, Jay Harrington, David Lim, and Patrick St. Esprit. It is both a remake of the 1975 show of the same name and takes place in the same universe as FX's The Shield. S.W.A.T. season 8 premiered on CBS on October 18 and is currently running on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Paramount has now announced that CBS will be moving S.W.A.T season 8 to 10:00 p.m. ET as of Friday, January 31, 2025. When it resumes following its midseason hiatus, it will be taking over the spot recently vacated by Blue Bloods. Its original time slot will be taken over by the crime drama spinoff NCIS: Sydney, which will air its season 2 premiere that same day. The 9:00 p.m. time slot will continue to be held by the firefighter drama Fire Country.
What This Means For S.W.A.T.
The Show Could Find More Viewers
This announcement will likely not affect the schedule of S.W.A.T. at the macro level. After it goes on hiatus in December and returns in January in the new time slot, it should be set to air the remainder of its episodes at a regular weekly network pace with occasional weeks off, as is the norm for network seasons. Deadline reports that the season has been rumored to have gotten a full 22-episode pickup, rather than the truncated 13 episodes received by the post-strike season 7. This means that it will most likely air its season 8 finale in May.
It remains to be seen how the show performs in its new time slot. However, the CBS Friday night schedule shifting around may offer it a more prominent showcase despite potentially losing some viewers in the shuffle. Because Blue Bloods will no longer be airing, it is now the only CBS police procedural airing during prime time on Fridays, as there is more variety now that it is preceded by a military show and a firefighter show. This may allow it to stand out more, especially as Blue Bloods viewers search for a new show to watch on Friday nights.
Our Take On S.W.A.T. Taking Over For Blue Bloods
The Time Slot May Open Up Again Soon
The new S.W.A.T. episodes taking over for Blue Bloods could simply see CBS replacing one popular, long-running police procedural with another. However, S.W.A.T. has been on shaky ground in recent years. CBS cancelled the show after season 6, only to quickly reverse the decision and renew season 7 as the final season, later reversing that decision as well. While this new time slot could boost its prospects, if CBS does abruptly lean toward cancellation once again, the time slot could become vacant again with little warning.
Another sign that S.W.A.T. may not attain the kind of longevity boasted by the Selleck show is the fact that its user ratings on various platforms are still positive, but generally lower than the departing series. On Rotten Tomatoes its seasons have an average audience score of 66%, on Metacritic it has a mixed 5.1 score, and on IMDb it has 7.2, compared to Blue Bloods' scores of 81%, 7.1, and 7.7. One of the only places where the newer show excels is Screen Rant's own user ratings where it has a 9.5 score compared to the older show's 9.3.
Source: Paramount & Deadline
