The series centers on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson. A lifetime Los Angeles local and former Marine, Hondo has been tapped to lead a new "last stop" Special Weapons and Tactics unit. Because he is L.A. born and raised, Hondo feels deeply loyal not only to his "brothers in blue" but also to the people they serve. This makes him particularly qualified to lead the team and build a bridge between the force and the community.
Cast and characters
Shemar Moore as Sergeant II Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson Jr., a Los Angeles native who was promoted to team leader in a blatant attempt to ease the tensions between the community and the LAPD. He knows everyone in the neighborhood and treats them with respect, and they usually give him information pertinent to his cases. He was in a clandestine relationship with Jessica Cortez but they were ultimately forced to break it off to protect their careers despite both mutually accepting their love for each other.
Stephanie Sigman as Captain Jessica Cortez, Commanding Officer of the LAPD Metropolitan Division and Hondo's lover, and then former lover. She is a respected officer who has plans to improve the relationship between the LAPD and the citizens of Los Angeles, despite some resistance from the rank and file. In the second-season finale, she accepts an offer for an FBI assignment and leaves the LAPD to go undercover. By the start of the third season, she has seemingly taken the assignment permanently.
Alex Russell as Officer III James "Jim" Street, a new transfer from the Long Beach Police Department. His mother Karen is in prison for murdering her abusive husband/Street's father; she was arrested by former S.W.A.T Team Leader Buck Spivey.
Lina Esco as Officer III Christina "Chris" Alonso, a former canine officer and one of the two females assigned to S.W.A.T.
Kenny Johnson as Officer III+1 Dominique Luca, a third-generation S.W.A.T officer. Johnson previously starred on The Shield, also created by Shawn Ryan.
Peter Onorati as Sergeant II Jeff Mumford, the team leader of another S.W.A.T Team alongside Hondo's. He has been divorced three times; in "Payback", he gets engaged again after only a month-long courtship. In the conclusion of "Jack", he announces his resignation from S.W.A.T. after being shot earlier in the episode.
Jay Harrington as Sergeant II David "Deacon" Kay, a 10-year veteran of the S.W.A.T. team who was passed over for promotion in favor of Hondo. He is the only member of the team to be married and has children. In "Shaky Town", it is revealed that he speaks fluent French. In "School", it is revealed that his daughter, Lila, is named after a school shooting victim.
David Lim as Officer III Victor Tan, a former officer with the LAPD Vice Squad. He joined S.W.A.T. three years prior to the series.
Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks, a senior officer with the LAPD Special Operations Bureau. He is a widower and a longtime friend of the Kay family. St. Esprit was promoted to a series regular for season 2.
Amy Farrington as Lieutenant Detective Piper Lynch, an experienced detective from LAPD Hollywood Division appointed by the mayor as a tactical consultant to Hondo's team.
On September 26, 2016, it was announced that Shawn Ryan had decided to develop a television series based on a movie and had teamed with Original Film to develop the concept. CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television was shopping the show to the American broadcast networks. On February 3, 2017, it was announced that CBS had greenlit production of a pilot episode written by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan and directed by Justin Lin. The new series was ordered by CBS on May 12, 2017. Co-creator and executive producers Thomas and Ryan will serve as the showrunners. The series premiered on November 2, 2017. On November 17, 2017, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 20 episodes and on December 1, 2017, CBS ordered two additional episodes for the first season bringing the total to 22 episodes. On March 27, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a second season which premiered on September 27, 2018. On March 16, 2020, Sony Pictures Television has suspended the production of third season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season which was set to be a mid-season premiere. However, on July 14 it was announced that it will switch places with Survivor, and will instead premiere in the fall of 2020.
Casting
In February 2017, former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore was announced as the Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, alongside with new co-stars Kenny Johnson as Dominic Luca, who was originally named Brian Gamble, and Lina Esco as Christina "Chris" Alonzo, who also originally named Sanchez. Several additional cast members were announced in March 2017. Jay Harrington plays Officer Deacon Kay, Alex Russell is James "Jim" Street, and finally, Peter Onorati was cast as Jeff Mumford, are four member of the S.W.A.T team of the Los Angeles Police Department in the original movie. On September 21, 2017, David Lim was cast in the role of Hondo's new co-member Victor Tan and was later promoted to series regular status for first season. On October 4, 2019, Stephanie Sigman announced her departure from the show and was subsequently replaced by Amy Farrington as series regular beginning with season three.
Filming
Filming on the fourth season is set to return on August 4, 2020.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 48% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 4.59/10 based on 27 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite a commanding, charming performance from Shemar Moore, S.W.A.T. remains a simple procedural overrun with clichés." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
