‘The Mentee Has Now Become the Mentor’ – S.W.A.T. Star Hints at Zoe’s Game-Changing Evolution in Season 8, Episode 13!

Despite only being on the air since 2016, S.W.A.T. is already in the middle of airing its eighth season, which is set to conclude later this year after 22 episodes, an increase from Season 7’s 13-episode run. Shemar Moore stars in the lead role of Sergeant Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson in S.W.A.T., with Jay Harrington and David Lim featuring alongside him as Sergeant David ‘Deacon’ Kay and Officer Victor Tan. One of the newer characters to enter the show is Officer Zoe Powell, who first made her debut in 2022 and has become a recurring character ever since. During a recent interview with Collider’s Michael Zimmerman, S.W.A.T. star Anna Enger Ritch spoke about Zoe’s development from being a lone wolf to now more of a team player:

“Prior to this episode, when Powell was first introduced, her character was very similar in the way Gamble is, where she didn’t feel comfortable enough subscribing to this idea of a team and a family. She was that lone wolf and really rebellious, just very defiant and, for personal reasons, very hesitant to jump on board to this team, this family, because of her past traumatic experiences and what have you. So, in this episode, you’ll see that transition to where she’s now pro team, “This is a family. Why aren’t you fighting, Gamble, to be a part of this family?” It’s interesting. The mentee has now become the mentor.”

The first season of S.W.A.T. debuted with a “rotten” 48% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but the following seasons have not rendered enough reviews to be given a score on the aggregate site. However, general audiences have given S.W.A.T. reviews over the years, enough so that the series has earned a score of 68% from fans on the site. The show was written and created for television by Shawn Ryan and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, with other writers such as Michael Gemballa, Sarah Alderson, Matthew T. Brown, and Kent Rotherham all serving as staff writers on more than 50 episodes. Billy Gierhart has directed the most episodes of S.W.A.T. with 35, and following more than 20 episodes behind him are Cherie Gierhart and Guy Ferland with 14 and 11 episodes.

Who Else Stars in ‘S.W.A.T.’?

Other than Moore, Harrington, and Lim, S.W.A.T., there have been four other actors to star in more than 100 episodes of the hit procedural series. One of them is Kenny Johnson, who plays Officer Dominique Luca, and another is Alex Russell, famous for his role as Officer Jim Street. Patrick St. Esprit has also been involved with S.W.A.T. since the show began in 2017 and is still rolling all these years later, as well as Lina Enso, who played Officer Chris Alonso from 2017-2022. Other names to star in S.W.A.T. include Stephanie Sigman as Captain Jessica Cortez, Otis Gallop as Sergeant Stevents, Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Sergeant Donovan Rocker, and Peter Onorati as Jeffrey ‘Jack’ Mumford.

S.W.A.T. Season 8 is in full swing and will conclude later this year. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and coverage of the show, and watch S.W.A.T. on both Netflix and Paramount+.