On April 11, CBS saved S.W.A.T. from cancellation, for the second time no less.
This reprieve came after three characters had already been written out this season. And additional exits may be coming, as it was hinted that Commander Hicks might be departing to take care of his ailing lover on S.W.A.T. Season 7 Episode 9.
So, who exactly will be in the 20 Squad returning for S.W.A.T. Season 8? Hondo, Powell, the new guy who replaced Street, and who else?
Ah, well, that’s a problem for the series’ showrunner and writers this summer. At least salaries for lesser-known actors should be less of a bite on the budget.
One side effect of this surprise rescue of S.W.A.T. is that Blue Bloods fans want their show, now in its 14th and supposedly final season, saved as well.
First off, let’s remember it’s a bad time to be a scripted network series. Just ask fans of Station 19, The Good Doctor, and Young Sheldon, all going down after their current seventh seasons.
The bloodletting actually began back during The CW fire sale, when most of that netlet’s scripted programming was jetted over a couple of seasons in favor of reality shows and reruns of scripted imports (mainly from Canada).
Following the new contracts with the Writers’ Guild and SAG-AFTRA, the networks followed suit, cleaning house. Unable to win the quality battle against the better-funded streaming services, they chose to find cheaper ways to keep their profit margins.
To continue oversimplifying TV economics, newer series are generally less expensive while long-running shows grow more pricey. And if your fave isn’t part of a franchise, it has no cover.
Networks want to track down a Tracker or have a Fire Country catch fire, in other words.
Absolutely none of these reasons work in favor of Blue Bloods.
Some would argue that the politics of Blue Bloods hurt it. But be serious. The favorite color of the networks isn’t blue or red. It’s green.
One smart move was split the final 18 episodes into two blocks, eight now and ten next fall. No one wants to miss the series finale because it aired at the start of a sunny August weekend.
That split also allows producers to kick the can down the road in terms of securing another season. Maybe the ratings might grow enough to pique Paramount’s interest.
However, such a move by NBC did nothing for Magnum P.I. fans other than give them false hope.
So far, Blue Bloods hasn’t been shedding characters such as S.W.A.T. has, which is an intelligent move in case an unlikely renewal happens.
That’s about it for positives in terms of getting renewed.
The most significant obstacle is the changing network financial environment detailed above.
The Blue Bloods cast and crew took a 25 percent pay cut to get CBS to agree to this “final” season in order to wrap everything up in a blue bow. So, that expense card likely can’t get played again.
Reupping S.W.A.T. has reduced the chance of Blue Bloods suddenly being renewed because there is that much less money in the programming budget.
Sure, CBS also canceled CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd. However, what it costs to produce a three-season show and a two-season show will not offset the cost of a long-running series such as Blue Bloods.
Also, while Blue Bloods dips into current events to inform its narrative, it’s a family drama before it’s a procedural.
