S.W.A.T. is temporarily down two of its members in its final season, with original cast members Kenny Johnson (Dominique Luca) and Alex Russell (Jim Street) no longer series regulars and now recurring. They were noticeably missing from the opening credits in the premiere, but with that episode focused on Hondo (Shemar Moore), Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit), and Powell (Anna Enger Ritch) in Mexico. The second episode, however, brings in two more members of the team, and gives us some answers.
When Tan (David Lim) gets to work, he tells Deacon (Jay Harrington) that Luca blending his morning smoothie is his alarm clock, and with him away, he overslept. “Long Beach S.W.A.T. have given Street the nickname Hollywood, but he says he’s whipping them into shape,” he adds. “And Luca’s loving London, sounds like he’s enjoying the night life more than the counter-terrorism training. He should stay there a few more weeks, to be honest.”
Does that mean being roommates isn’t working out? The only problem for Tan is that even after a night out, “every morning’s bootcamp,” up at 6 a.m. for a five-mile uphill run, an hour at the gym, and a 20-minute ice bath. Deacon explains that at his, Hondo, and Luca’s age, you push yourself to the limit to maintain peak condition.
Both Johnson and Russell have addressed their reduced roles in the final season on social media. “I’m so very thankful for having had the opportunity to bring Jim Street to life and for having shared this incredible experience with my SWAT family – it’s been a blast. All of us at SWAT are forever grateful to each and every fan for making our amazing job possible,” Russell wrote on Instagram. “I know in this final season, we’ll give you the grand finish you deserve and don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of Jim Street yet!”
Johnson shared, alongside photos from over the years, that his character “was given a beautiful bittersweet send off, and it got to include my daughter Jelli aka ‘Kelly.’” He also posted videos with Moore of the two of them finishing up his last episode, the seventh of the season, and documenting his final days on the show on February 20 with a series of photos.
