Stay liquid, S.W.A.T. fans, because the show won’t be on hiatus for much longer. The hit CBS police drama has been off the air for a few weeks now, leaving viewers eager to see their beloved Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson and the rest of 20-Squad again — especially considering that season 8 is the last, so there isn’t much time left in the series. Closer breaks down why S.W.A.T. isn’t on this week and when fans can expect it to return to the CBS lineup.
Why Isn’t ‘S.W.A.T.’ on This Week?
S.W.A.T. is off the air on March 28, 2025, due to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, a.k.a. March Madness, playing on CBS instead.
There was also no new episode of S.W.A.T. on March 21, 2025, due to the tournament’s schedule.
When Does ‘S.W.A.T.’ Return?
S.W.A.T. will return to its usual time of 10 p.m. ET on Friday, April 4, 2025.
The episode, titled “Hail Mary,” sounds like it will have fans on the edge of their seats. “The abduction and brutal torture of two college football stars puts SWAT on the trail of a violent drug dealer looking to extract vengeance for a drug deal gone bad, while Deacon’s heroics bring unexpected attention,” the synopsis reads.
Former NBA pro Kenny Smith and former NFL star Jerry Rice are set to guest star in the episode.
When Is the ‘S.W.A.T.’ Series Finale?
S.W.A.T. is expected to continue airing at its usual time until May 16, 2025, when viewers will get twice the action in an epic two-part series finale starting at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. In part one, titled “Ride or Die,” Hondo (Shemar Moore) and his teammates will be sent on a dangerous mission with a familiar face.
“When an auto carrier truck gets hijacked by a high-speed crew, Hondo encounters a ghost from his past – a violent car thief thought to be long-dead,” the synopsis reads. “As the brutal road warriors tear across L.A. in pursuit of a mysterious $60 million car, Hondo’s old rivalry reignites, and he’s forced to confront a long-held fear. Also, Gamble is thrust into a personal crisis when her brother, Leon, becomes tangled in the investigation, putting Gamble’s SWAT future in jeopardy, in the first part of the two-hour series finale of S.W.A.T.”
The stakes are even higher in part two, titled “Return to Base.”
“The SWAT team undertakes its final mission when a violent crew of ex-pat Russian mercenaries holds Los Angeles hostage after planting hundreds of hidden explosives across the city in a bid to extort the release of their brutal leader, Dmitri Rykov,” the synopsis says. “When Rykov is brought to SWAT for safekeeping, SWAT HQ comes under attack, forcing Hondo and 20-Squad to fight for their very survival, in the second part of the two-hour series finale of S.W.A.T.”
Though S.W.A.T. is coming to an end on CBS, Shemar hasn’t given up hope that the show will live on elsewhere.
“The family over at S.W.A.T. — we ain’t done chasing bad guys. Helicopter chases and motorcycle chases and car chases and blowing up stuff … we ain’t done. But if you force us to be finished, we thank you. Again, nothing lasts forever, and we know that. But hey, Netflix, holler at your boy,” he said in a March 2025 Instagram video. “I say to CBS, if you’re done — I know it’s about money, optics, politics — I don’t think you’re making the right choice I’ll say that. But if you are done, I say thank you, genuinely, honestly.”
