Luca wasn’t the only one who struggled with saying goodbye during his emotional S.W.A.T. exit. The show is based on both the 1975 show and the 2003 movie and features a cast of S.W.A.T. team members trying to survive in chaotic situations throughout Los Angeles. The show premiered in 2017 and was canceled by CBS after season 6. A response by fans led to a season 7 renewal, which will likely serve as the show’s finale. Kenny Johnson (Luca) was forced to say farewell early, after injuries led Luca to an early retirement.
The entire S.W.A.T. season 7 cast is preparing to leave the show, but Luca’s exit was especially hard. In an interview with TV Insider, Johnson spoke about the pain that Luca was going through in his retirement ceremony. With so much pressure on his shoulders, he just wasn’t capable of sitting at a desk, rather than working in the field, which led to Luca saying goodbye. Check out his quote below:
That’s a tough pill to swallow. I can’t do a desk job. Luca has a hard time emotionally wrapping around the fact that he can’t go out and be the best that he can at what he does. He was born into S.W.A.T. That’s all he’s ever known. His whole heart and conscience, I would say, is about giving and saving and protecting.
And he wants to be out there actively doing it; whether he gives his life up for it or not, it’s something that he does selflessly, I think. I can’t do this, so I’m going to do something else. And then Hondo trying to say, “No, you can go out there and meet somebody new. You can surf the biggest waves.” And I’m thinking like, “Oh, yeah, okay, that’s going to parallel S.W.A.T. At this point in my life?” I’m laughing now, but for Luca, it’s not funny. All I know is it’s being taken away and I have to accept it.
Why Did Luca Leave S.W.A.T.?
Luca Experienced An Early Farewell Before The Final Episode
At the end of S.W.A.T. season 7, episode 6, “Escape”, Luca takes Kelly for ice cream, only for a casual drive to end in disaster. A sudden attack leaves Luca with multiple gunshot wounds and irreversible nerve damage. Unable to receive proper approval for field work, Luca has the choice of working a desk job or moving on from S.W.A.T. forever. Because he always viewed himself as more than a desk worker, Luca elects to say goodbye. He retires after an emotional ceremony and leaves the show forever.
The decision to say goodbye to Kenny Johnson so early is surprising. Luca has been a part of S.W.A.T. since the first season, and his role on the show has been relatively consistent. Forcing an exit before the final episode also led to Luca’s downgrade to a recurring character. In addition to forcing Luca to leave behind his life’s work, its ends his role in a family legacy of S.W.A.T. team members. It was a tragic ending for him and leaves him with a truly bittersweet future, even if Hondo tries to reassure him about his fate.
The decision to have Luca exit early, however, allowed for a proper goodbye for the character.After S.W.A.T. was canceled, the renewal gave the show a chance to offer individual honors for each of its characters. As the central character, Hondo is likely to dominate the final episode, so having Luca leave episodes before the ending gave him the spotlight for an episode. As tragic as Luca’s ending is, it gave S.W.A.T. a chance at a proper sendoff for his character before the series finale.
