S.W.A.T. will be down one series regular when the action drama series returns for an eighth season this fall. Rochelle Aytes, who portrays Nichelle Carmichael, has exited the CBS procedural after five seasons.
According to Deadline, Aytes will be the only S.W.A.T. regular to not return for Season 8, which CBS ordered back in April to the surprise of both the fandom and cast. Since S.W.A.T. was originally supposed to end with its seventh season, new cast deals needed to be made for the eighth season. Deadline reports that Aytes was not invited back for Season 8, although the producers are hoping to bring her back in a recurring capacity. However, that may prove challenging since Aytes has already landed a new series regular role on the forthcoming medical drama, Watson, opposite Morris Chestnut.
Who Is Rochelle Aytes Playing in Watson?
Aytes was reportedly approached almost immediately after leaving S.W.A.T. to join Watson, which is also housed at CBS. She will play Dr. Mary Morstan, who is described as “one of the best surgeons on the East Coast, and the Medical Director of the hospital. She is equally adept at being a voice of reason for and serving reality checks to her ex-husband, Dr. Watson (Chestnut). She has great respect for Watson and, while she appreciates his sleuthing when it comes to medical mysteries, she can also become irritated by his unorthodox approach to the business of medicine.”
Given a straight-to-series order on CBS in January 2024, Watson is a new modern-day reimagining of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes characters, specifically Dr. John Watson. The upcoming medical drama series is the second Holmes-based series to air on CBS, following the Jonny Lee Miller-led Elementary, which ran for seven seasons and 154 episodes between 2012 and 2019. Craig Sweeney, who was a writer and producer on Elementary, created Watson.
Described as a “medical drama with detective elements,” Watson will be set one year after the death of Sherlock Holmes, following Dr. Watson as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries. Production on the series is slated to begin next week in Canada.
S.W.A.T. Star Reacts to Surprise Renewal
S.W.A.T.‘s Season 8 renewal marks the series’ second reverse cancelation. The show was previously canceled after its sixth season, only for CBS to reverse the decision a few days later. Season 7 was then announced as the final season, only for the network to again change its mind and order another season. CBS has seemingly learned its lesson as Season 8 is not being billed as “the final season,” leaving the door open for S.W.A.T. to receive a ninth season.
“I’m super, super geeked. I’m so excited, so proud, humbled, and I’m still pinching myself because it’s kind of a miracle,” said S.W.A.T. lead Shemar Moore about the show being uncanceled twice. “It’s business, and you can’t take it personal, but sometimes you do a little bit because you’re so passionate about something.”
Watson is scheduled to air on Sundays during the 2024–25 television season on CBS as a mid-season replacement.
