As much as we dislike the idea of S.W.A.T. coming to an end, that end is near, and there are still some characters we would love to see return. Nichelle (Rochelle Aytes) is certainly one of them, but sadly that is not going to happen, and we have been warned about that. Aytes has a busy schedule due to the CBS series Watson, and S.W.A.T. showrunner Andrew Dettman warned fans that her return couldn’t work out.
She is not the only character we would love to see return in S.W.A.T. season 8, though. There are some from the earlier days of the series, and others from just the last few seasons. Even if it is just a small appearance in the S.W.A.T. series finale, it would be good to get an on-screen update. After all, there is a certain wedding that we need to see on the screen.
Jim Street
Show Us How His Promotion Is Going
The last we saw of Jim Street, he got a promotion that he deserved. The character was missing for the first couple of episodes of S.W.A.T. season 7, with Alex Russell demoted from series regular to special guest star. Hondo (Shemar Moore) explained that Street was helping out with his former Long Beach division, and the two units eventually teamed up for an episode. After this, Street was offered a promotion to run the unit, and he took it.
Tan (David Lim) still talks with Street all the time, so it allows everyone to remain up to date one what is going on in Street’s life. There was even mention of a Stris wedding coming up, something that we have waited years to see happen. Now it’s time to bring Street back so he can tell everyone how he is finding his new position since there won’t be a S.W.A.T. season 9 to see the two units team up again.
Christina "Chris" Alonso
Give Us The Stris Wedding
If Street returns, then Chris (Lina Esco) needs to return as well. One of the things that we need to see in the S.W.A.T. series finale is the Stris wedding, and it only happens if both characters return. It would also be great to get an update on how Chris is doing after she chose to leave the team. The last we saw of Chris, she realized that she needed to do more in her life, and she chose to run a safe house for immigrant women, which was originally ran by Mama Pina.
This also opened the door for something to finally happen between Chris and Street, as they had originally held back from their feelings for each other due to working together. Despite Chris leaving, Street was part of the show to offer positive updates about their relationship, so the slow-burn romance we had been waiting for still continued.
Dominique Luca
Find Out How The Food Truck Is Doing
One of the greatest tragedies of S.W.A.T. season 7 was losing Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson), who was the perfect driver of Black Betty. As one of the veteran members of the team, he brought a world of knowledge, as well as some comedic relief to some storylines. While Hondo made it clear that Luca would always be part of the family, he hasn’t been seen since his short-term guest appearance in the seventh season.
In a shocking turn of events, Luca was shot by robbers while he was off duty. After initially pulling through the surgery, Luca suffered some permanent damage to his shoulder, leading to him having to retire from S.W.A.T., much to his disappointment. While he did get a rewarding sendoff into retirement, it was not the ending that we wanted to see, and we need to see how he’s doing in retirement and how that food truck business is doing.
Jessica Cortez
Get A Catch-Up From The Now-FBI Agent
During the first two seasons of S.W.A.T., the team was run by Captain Jessica Cortez (Stephanie Sigman). She was also in a secret relationship with Hondo, although the two would eventually realize that they needed to put their relationship on hold due to their positions at work. It brought an interesting dynamic, with two mature adults deciding the best for their careers and still working together well.
At the end of the second season, Cortez was offered a position with the FBI and took it. The S.W.A.T. season 8 finale would be an excellent time for 20-Squad to work with the FBI and for Cortez to come in and show where she is in her career. It would also be perfect for Cortez to learn how Hondo has settled down and has a child, which is something she probably never expected to hear in the earlier days of the series.
Piper Lynch
Bring Closure For The Former Lieutenant
After Cortez left, Lieutenant Piper Lynch (Amy Farrington) came into the series, and while she wasn’t a direct replacement for Cortez, she did help to run the team. However, she didn’t quite make the impact that the writers likely hoped for, and she was quietly written out of the series during the fourth season. Lynch hasn’t even been mentioned since, which shows just how little impact she made on the other characters.
That doesn’t mean she should be forgotten about. There were times that she had some run-ins with both Hondo and Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit), and the S.W.A.T. series finale would be a chance to see one final moment. Alternatively, it could be a chance to see that she gained some sort of promotion and is there to offer 20-Squad some sort of award at the very end of the series to show there is no bad blood. There is still time for some cameos to happen in S.W.A.T. season 8. Some of them could offer moments we have waited eight years for, while others are just good closure.
