CBS’s crime drama S.W.A.T. has developed an incredibly devoted fan base thanks to some of its best episodes and stellar cast. The series from The Shield creator Shawn Ryan concerns Daniel “Hondo” Harrison (former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore), a Special Weapons And Tactics Sergeant tasked with leading a group of agents and officers in his native Los Angeles. The team has gone through several changes over its seven seasons, but at its core, it’s still about helping citizens in dangerous situations.
S.W.A.T. has been on the air since 2017, and it’s faced plenty of behind-the-scenes drama. The show has been canceled, then seen the cancelation reversed, then seen itself saved from cancelation by a streaming deal. What’s clear is that fans love the combination of the procedural aspects of the show alongside the overarching character plots, so they would be sad to see it go. These particular episodes showcase just what the audience loves about the show.
Despite initially claiming season 7 would be the last, CBS has now renewed the action procedural series S.W.A.T. for its eighth season.
“Diablo”
Season 3, Episode 21
In the de facto Season 3 finale, the S.W.A.T. team tracks down a gang of drug dealers who crash their plane full of merchandise in the Los Angeles suburbs. It’s an adrenaline-fueled episode as the audience is kept on the edge of their seats while the team tracks down their targets. The chase results from a botched joint mission with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Meanwhile, Hondo tries to reconcile his frayed relationship with Nichelle. When Deacon is asked to speak publicly to a training class about his bout with mental illness, he’s reluctant to do so. In facing his own battles, Dom faces severe anxiousness as he reenters the line of duty. The episode brought mental health discussions to the forefront alongside the entertaining chase.
The one downside to this episode is that it was being used to set up more story, but filming for the season was cut short. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this episode functioned as the season finale.
“Kangaroo”
Season 2, Episode 23
The Season 2 finale of S.W.A.T. is one of the most similar to the structure of Criminal Minds, which is likely why fans love it so much. A lot of the Criminal Minds audience followed former series star Shemar Moore to the program, so seeing a similar set-up would be welcome to those members of the audience. In “Kangaroo,” The criminal group known as the Emancipators stream the public execution of city politicians live on air.
Elsewhere, Hondo works tirelessly to help Daryl overcome his demons, and uplift his soul in the process. Jim Street finds his mother under the influence and calls her parole officer as a result. Deacon earns Police Stars for his valiant service but feels unworthy of the honor. The episode balances each of these character stories with that of the mock-trials and executions being live-streamed to give the same feel of a Criminal Minds investigation.
“Good Cop”
Season 3, Episode 12
On the heels of the preceding episode, “Bad Cop,” Street redeems himself as a “Good Cop” once revealing an undercover scheme. In “Bad Cop,” Street expresses his desire to quit the S.W.A.T. team. In “Good Cop,” Street confesses that the threat was a ruse meant to allow his infiltration of Nolan’s drug empire. In response, the S.W.A.T. crew helps Street arrest Nolan and his main drug supplier. While he gains the collar, Street is left to mourn the death of his foster brother Nate, who was killed by Nolan.
Episodes centered on Street in the early seasons are welcome for the show because he’s the audience’s window into the team. Street is new to an established S.W.A.T. team in the pilot episode of the series, and he doesn’t quite fit in with the team’s well-oiled machine of threat response methods. When the show works to humanize Street instead of just making him the team rebel getting explanations for the audience, the show works better.
“Immunity”
Season 3, Episode 4
In “Immunity,” Deacon and his loved ones are in the direct line of fire from an L.A. drug affiliation led by a former Colombian insurgent. To protect his family, Deacon calls in the S.W.A.T. team for help. As per usual, the top cops succeed. However, the cartel leader has been granted legal immunity from the C.I.A. and finds a way to assault Deacon at his home residence. Elsewhere, Tan faces repercussions for eating THC gummies, while Hondo learns bad medical news about his father.
It’s another episode that allows the audience to balance the intrigue of a case with the personal lives of the team, which are always the best episodes of S.W.A.T. Deacon is also a fan-favorite character since he’s actually the most senior member of the team who is passed over for a promotion in the very first episode of the show.
Stephanie Sigman played Captain Jessica Cortez in SWAT on CBS for two seasons but left after the season 2 finale – why did she exit the show?
“Day Of Dread”
Season 2, Episode 21
When the collateral damage of catching one of the most-wanted criminals claims a civilian’s life, the S.W.A.T. team faces an internal investigation for wrongdoing. As a result, Hondo’s leadership is seriously doubted by his superiors. The format follows interrogation and flashbacks to the case the team was working at the time, allowing for both the investigators and the audience to piece the events of the day together at the same time.
Darryl, whom Hondo has been looking after, also sustains a gunshot wound while working. It’s a call about Darryl’s injury that his superiors initially think may have pulled Hondo’s focus, allowing the show to mesh Hondo’s personal and professional story arcs once again. The fallout from the event has a negative impact on nearly everyone involved though, not just Hondo.
In a nice Easter egg for fans, guest star Larry Poindexter also starred in 2003 film SWAT as Los Angeles Police Department Captain Tom Fuller.
“1000 Joules”
Season 2, Episode 10
In the tenth episode of season 2, the S.W.A.T. crew galvanizes around Rebecca, a technician who is injured during a robbery of DNA evidence from the police lab. In search of the stolen DNA kits, the S.W.A.T. team suspects a criminal awaiting his day in court as the culprit. However, further investigation leads to the discovery of the real perpetrator who makes money by selling the stolen evidence to various criminals.
The case of the week is a pretty fascinating one and gives an interesting idea for the show to use in the future if it chooses to. It’s definitely one that makes the audience think as stolen evidence can pop up in interesting places in a series like this one. Elsewhere, Deacon struggles to organize the police’s holiday toy drive due to his dire financial situation, giving another layer to the commitment the officers have to their job.
“S.O.S.”
Season 2, Episode 5
When a band of criminals overtakes a cruise ship with plans to transport a cache of drugs to Mexico, Hondo and Chris sneak aboard the ship to thwart the mission. As the rest of the team scrambles to identify the criminals on land, a passenger with a sat-phone assists Hondo and Chris with unmasking the ringleader and securing the ship. Meanwhile, Street struggles on his first day at S.WA.T. academy as he’s begrudgingly trained by Luca.
It’s not quite a bottle episode because of dual narratives, but it gives the appearance of one, which is part of the appeal. The events of the crime are relatively contained, creating a tight narrative and making for a fun ride for the audience. On the other hand, seeing Luca and Street work together allows the episode to explore a different dynamic than it usually does, and helps to expand Street’s character a bit.
S.W.A.T. is full of intriguing characters that have gained a big fanbase but there’s still a lot that viewers don’t know about the main players.
“Invisible”
Season 2, Episode 19
When a group of upscale home invaders kidnaps Timo, the friendly neighbor of Luca and Street, the S.W.A.T. team goes in hot pursuit to identify the culprits. Luca and Street end up as buddy-cops in their investigation, which leads to the discovery of a well-organized gang that specializes in coaxing domestic workers to break into multi-million dollar houses. By this point in the show, Luca and Street are a proven crowd-pleaser of a duo, so seeing them work a case together is a good time.
Elsewhere, Hondo officially adopts Daryl as part of his home and family life and continues to expand his personal stories beyond his love life. With Mumford set to retire, the entire crew throws a send-off bash in his honor. While Mumford is often a fun antagonist for the main characters, his retirement is a welcome change of the guard for the show, giving the show some new life.
“Stigma”
Season 3, Episode 18
When the S.W.A.T. team learns their former superior Buck Spivey may be inflicting self-harm with suicidal tendencies, a scramble to save his life ensues. Hondo takes the 20-David crew along for reinforcement. As the team tries to locate Buck, a flashback sequence depicts one of the team’s most challenging missions. Among the flashbacks include counseling sessions members underwent as a result of working with S.W.A.T. and the mental health issues related to such.
In older police procedurals, any kind of focus on mental health is not a part of the storylines. S.W.A.T. is one of the few police procedurals to attempt to change that. It focuses on characters who want to make a difference in their community but also shows the downside of the power of the position potentially going to someone’s head. “Stigma” shows how much of a toll the job can take on the former type of officer.
“School”
Season 2, Episode 11
This episode revolves around a copycat killer intent on recreating a mass school shooting from the past. As Hondo and the crew search for the copycat killer, they’re forced to relive the traumatic past experience of dealing with a shooting massacre at Riverhill High School six years prior. The killer plans to increase the death rate while targeting a different school.
School shootings are a tough thing to depict in fictional media because of how traumatic they are on a mass scale in reality, but S.W.A.T. manages to do it with care. It crafts a fictional story of a shooting, but it also shows the reality of how one can affect people even years after the event takes place In relation to the episode, the main stars of the show appeared in a PSA advocating for school safety, showing that S.W.A.T. is a very different procedural of those from the past.
