SWAT Season 8 Shocks Fans by Casting The Chosen Star as a Ruthless Gangster—Here’s What to Expect!

A star from The Chosen is joining the cast of S.W.A.T. season 8. The CBS series led by Shemar Moore was originally canceled after season 6. A strong campaign from Moore and the loyal fan base contributed to S.W.A.T. getting renewed for a seventh and final season. This once again proved to only be a temporary ending. Another renewal and S.W.A.T. season 8’s story continues the beloved series as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Moore) continues to make difficult decisions through his ongoing work in Los Angeles.

CBS has now revealed that Stelio Savante will guest star in the February 21 episode. Savante’s role is described as the following: “In an episode titled ‘Deep Cover,’ Savante plays Omar, who heads up a group of Albanian gangsters, forced to rob banks, in order to pay their debts to the Russian mob.” Savante previously played Moses in an episode of the popular biblical series The Chosen. He is also a SAG Award nominee for his work on Ugly Betty and won the American Movie Award for Best Actor for 2014’s Once We Were Slaves.

What This Means For S.W.A.T. Season 8

Omar Will Be A Compelling Character In “Deep Cover”

While Moore is the face of the series, many of S.W.A.T.’s best episodes have been largely defined by the guest stars. Savante is the latest guest star set to make a significant impact on S.W.A.T.‘s current season. Like many of the show’s standout characters, there will be more than meets the eye with Omar, who is pressured into robbing banks so that the debts owed to the Russian mob can be paid off. This puts Omar in a challenging predicament that will drive the conflict forward in “Deep Cover.”

CBS’ action-packed procedural series S.W.A.T. has been revived twice, but will the Shemar Moore-led show score a season 9 renewal?

As a guest star, Savante is not expected to become a series regular actor for S.W.A.T., although there may be potential for his story to continue depending on his fate in the episode. Outside of Moore’s Hondo, the cast has changed a great deal since the show first debuted in 2017. While a changing cast can be a challenge for many series, it has not proven to be an issue for S.W.A.T., largely because of the positive impact that newcomers like Savante are able to make.

Our Take On Stelio Savante’s Casting

S.W.A.T. Continues To Add Talented Actors To Its Cast

Between Ugly Betty, Once We Were Slaves, The Chosen, and the many other projects he has starred in throughout his career, Savante has continually demonstrated his ability to successfully take on a wide range of roles. It has been a pleasure to see S.W.A.T. continue beyond season 6, with one of the best parts being the opportunity to see Savante and other talented actors join the series. The conflict between Omar, the Russian mob, and how it involves Hondo will undoubtedly be a gripping story.