It’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster for Shemar Moore and the rest of the cast of S.W.A.T., the CBS crime procedural based in Los Angeles. Twice now the show has been canceled and then saved by the network, and as it inches closer to its Season 7 finale, Moore got real about the recent renewal. It turns out the psychological effects of the show's seemingly always-uncertain fate aren’t the only thing affecting its cast, but there’s apparently a pretty intense physical aspect too.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, the CBS drama was thought to be one of 2024’s canceled TV shows, with fans under the impression they were watching its seventh and final season. And, while Shemar Moore couldn’t have been more grateful to the fans when S.W.A.T. was saved from cancellation a second time, he also made mention that filming that show is “no joke” physically. Apparently, it takes quite a bit of work to pull off those action sequences and realistic explosions. The actor told ET:
We're running around in all our gear, chasing bad guys, flying around in helicopters, hanging off tankers, blowing up buildings, car chases, [and] fighting. Mad fun, [but] it's a lot of hours.
If anybody’s up to the task, though, it would be Shemar Moore. The Young and the Restless alum proved that age is just a number, at least where his abs are concerned, when he showed exactly how kind time has been to him. It sounds like we might have S.W.A.T. to thank for helping him keep that chiseled look into his 50s.
He may be tired, but he’s by no means upset that his series will receive an eighth season. In fact, Shemar Moore still couldn’t quite believe that this was happening again, as he said:
It's a miracle, man. I'm pinching myself and I'm exhausted. Trust me. I'm tired but it's a good kind of tired.
There’s no doubt that what the cast has been through is both physically and emotionally exhausting. The series, which premiered in 2017, was initially set to end after Season 6; however, it was rescued from cancellation in 2023, just as the series became available to those with a Netflix subscription.
The procedural dominated on Netflix, and Shemar Moore has shown gratitude for the streamer's fans, who he said were helping to prove that S.W.A.T. was “here to stay,” despite Season 7 being advertised as its last. Moore never did seem to believe it was over, and even before the current season started, he called himself an “optimist,” saying he wasn’t quite sure it was the end.
Who were we to ever doubt Hondo anyway, because he turned out to be correct. As tough as the show may be to shoot, Shemar Moore doesn't have any complaints about S.W.A.T. getting an eighth season. That should go for fans, too, because it sounds like the upcoming Season 7 finale would have left them fuming if that’s how the series ended.
Tune in to see what that means, as new episodes of S.W.A.T. air at 8 p.m. ET Fridays on CBS and can be streamed the next day with a Paramount+ subscription. The first six seasons are available on Netflix.
