It’s not every day that a show is saved from cancellation by its own network, and it’s even rarer when it happens twice. With CBS’ S.W.A.T. getting a surprise renewal after Season 7 was meant to be the last, some fans may be anxious to see what's in store for the season's final episode, which was originally meant to close out the series. Shemar Moore has been open about his optimism for more installments, and he’s now revealing how "smart" the producers were about handling what would've been the final episode, which sounds bombastic.
Over the last several months, the lead actor has been very open about his thoughts on the procedural ending and was holding on to hope that Season 7 wasn’t the last. Since the season finale was initially treated as a series finale, the episode is as big as ever. While at the CBS Fall Schedule Celebration, Shemar Moore told Deadline just how massive the finale is and how it will proceed in true S.W.A.T. nature:
We were smart. At the tail end of the strike, me and the producers and the writers got together at my house and I said, ‘Ok, what are we going to do this year?’ I said, ‘If this is it, let’s go out with a bang. Let’s give them our signature. Let’s give them the action: helicopters, chase scenes, motorcycle chases, fight scenes, Hondo sprinting through an alley. Let’s rock them.
It honestly wouldn’t be a S.W.A.T. episode without the explosions, big action sequences, car/motorcycle chases and the like, especially when it comes to a season finale. So, while the upcoming season capper would have served as a series finale if not for the surprise renewal, it’s nice to know that it would have gone out with a huge bang. And, honestly, I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
That being said, despite the fact that this time last month, Season 7 was going to be the last, that doesn’t mean that the finale won’t set up what's to come. While many creative teams tie up loose ends when placed in situations like these, they also manage to leave the door open for future developments in many respects. According to Shemar Moore, the upcoming season finale did drop some bread crumbs for future installlments:
We have three episodes left to finish [airing] this season. So when you get to the finale, you’ll see we shaped it in a way that it’s either our swan song or our new beginning. We literally didn’t change anything in the writing.
Considering Season 7 has already said goodbye to Alex Russell and Kenny Johnson and has also seemingly said farewell to Jay Harrington, 20-Squad is starting to look like a mix of the OGs and newbies. With this “new beginning” for the show, it’s very possible that fans might be looking at a new 20-Squad by the time Season 8 rolls around. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t look forward to former cast members returning. Either way, it’s going to be exciting to see how the finale sets up Season 8 and whether or not fans would have really been upset if the series stayed canceled.
The Season 7 finale of S.W.A.T. airs on May 17 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Fans can catch up on past installments using a Paramount+ subscription, and read up on shows that are truly ending or have been canceled this year.
