While CBS’ S.W.A.T. just recently began filming for its upcoming fifth season, the series seems to have sadly already hit a roadblock. The cop procedural is just the latest series to deal with COVID-related issues on set, especially thanks to the new Delta variant. The show has dealt with COVID things are different this time around.
This past week, the LA County Health Department did report an outbreak on the S.W.A.T. set in Los Angeles. According to Deadline, there were five reported COVID cases on the set, but production has not been shut down at this time. Last year, S.W.A.T. became the first primetime show to restart filming following the initial industry-wide lockdown and, from there, filming progressed relatively well. Unfortunately, lead star Shemar Moore did end up contracting COVID during the team's Christmas break.
Other shows haven't been quite as fortunate as CBS' S.W.A.T., unfortunately. As the trade also reports, series like Westworld and American Horror Story have had to pause production recently due to COVID. We also recently learned that Netflix's Bridgerton had to halt work indefinitely due to a COVID-related situation. When it comes to networks, many having been setting their fall and midseason schedules as usual, but it’s possible this new variant of COVID could put a damper on those plans. However, given the state of the public health situation, many entertainment companies are cracking down and enforcing additional safety protocols on their sets.
As S.W.A.T. continues to push through with production on Season 5, much of the cast has been posting photos and videos from set as they begin filming the new season, and there's plenty of reason for them to be excited. The Season 5 premiere will be a big two-parter that will partially center on Shemar Moore’s Hondo in Mexico. Having S.W.A.T.’s lead actor south of the border should shake things up from a storytelling perspective, and it'll be interesting to see how Hondo is shaped by the experience.
Aside from the two-part season premiere, there's currently no telling what else lies ahead in Season 5. There’s no doubt that the upcoming season will continue with Street and Chris’ relationship, and fans will hopefully (and finally) see them together after all these years. Moreover, S.W.A.T. tends to go bigger with each season, so the series will likely take things up a notch this year. Outside of the actually storylines, we do know that the show will be switching nights this year, but that shouldn't deter fans from tuning in for all of the action.
S.W.A.T.’s October premiere date is steadily approaching, so it would be disappointing for fans if the show were to have to shut down production. And one should also remember that even if things remain manageable on set, everything can still be halted if another massive lockdown is put into Given the rising COVID numbers in California, one can't honestly say that another shutdown won't happen. But in the meantime, we can only hope that the cast and crew continue to do what they can on their ensure the safety of everyone that's present.
Season 5 of S.W.A.T. premieres Friday, October 1 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
