There aren’t many shows that have come back from being canceled one time, but S.W.A.T. has managed to do it twice, and now Shemar Moore, who stars as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson on the hit CBS series is hoping for a magical third time.
In an Instagram post to his fans, Shemar makes no disrespect to CBS. After all, the majority of his career has been spent at the eye network, from The Young and the Restless, to Criminal Minds and then S.W.A.T. But he feels they have made a mistake in canceling S.W.A.T. too soon.
He says, “The family over at S.W.A.T. — we ain’t done chasing bad guys. Helicopter chases and motorcycle chases and car chases and blowing up stuff… we ain’t done. But if you force us to be finished, we thank you. Again, nothing lasts forever, and we know that. But hey, Netflix, holler at your boy.”
Patrick St. Esprit, David Lim, Shemar Moore, Anna Enger Ritch, Jay Harrington, and Brigitte Kali Canales
Photo: Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures Television/CBS
Shemar’s plea to Netflix to rescue S.W.A.T. for a ninth season is actually based on the success the series has had on the streaming platform.
“Hey, Netflix, how you doing?” he continued. “Let me just remind you that in a short amount of time, not too long ago, it only took us about two weeks to go from No. 15 to No. 12 to No. 1. And then we stayed in your Top 10, Top 15 for six to nine months, so Netflix if you’re interested in a show that is on autopilot, that the world is watching, we’d love to come play.”
And he gave it the personal touch adding, “I ain’t done yet. My knees are ready, I lost 20 pounds.” As if Shemar was ever out of shape!
And if Netflix isn’t interested, Shemar made a pitch to ABC, NBC and FOX, saying “Hey, you want to come flirt with me? You’re invited to the barbecue. Pick your favorite restaurant. I will pay the bill, OK?”
Shemar Moore
In concluding, Shemar did thank CBS again: “If you force us to be finished, we thank you. Again, nothing lasts forever and we know that.”
And he says that in the meantime he will bow out gracefully, play with his baby girl Frankie, and look forward to his next chapter.
Fans are absolutely up for the idea of a ninth season as well. One wrote, “NO! SWAT CANNOT BE CANCELLED! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!” Another created the hashtag #saveswat. And a third wrote “Netflix come through, we need more seasons!”
But it was best summed up by this fan, writing, “It's unbelievable.😕 Eight seasons of a show that was action-packed and had good ratings. Now to simply cancel it… no words.😔 This cannot be a final decision.😢 Thank you to the entire crew in front of and behind the camera for the incredible performance.”
That said, S.W.A.T. has several more episodes of Season 8 to air, which it will do on Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Streams next day on Paramount+.
