S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series)



S.W.A.T. is an American crime drama television series, based on the 1975 television series of the same name created by Robert Hamner and developed by Rick Husky. The new series was developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan, and premiered on CBS on November 2, 2017. On March 27, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a second season which premiered on September 27, 2018.

Premise
The series centers on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson. A lifetime Los Angeles local and former Marine, Hondo has been tapped to lead a new “last stop” Special Weapons and Tactics unit. Because he is L.A. born and raised, Hondo feels deeply loyal not only to his “brothers in blue” but also to the people they serve. This makes him particularly qualified to lead the team and build a bridge between the force and the community.

Main

 * Shemar Moore as Sergeant II Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, a Los Angeles native who was promoted to team leader in a blatant attempt to ease the tensions between the community and the LAPD. He knows everyone in the neighborhood and treats them with respect, and they usually give him information pertinent to his cases.
 * Stephanie Sigman as Captain Jessica Cortez, Commanding Officer of the LAPD Metropolitan Division and Hondo's lover, and then former lover. She is a respected officer who has plans to improve the relationship between the LAPD and the citizens of Los Angeles, despite some resistance from the rank and file.
 * Alex Russell as Officer III Jim Street, a new transfer from the Long Beach Police Department. His mother Karen is in prison for murdering her abusive husband/Street's father; she was arrested by future SWAT Team Leader Buck Spivey.
 * Lina Esco as Officer III Christina "Chris" Alonso, a former canine officer and the only female assigned to SWAT.
 * Kenny Johnson as Officer III+1 Dominic Luca, a third-generation SWAT officer; in "Payback" he's is referred to as Sergeant by Hondo (although in the following episode he still wears the Officer III+1 insignia on his uniform).
 * Peter Onorati as Sergeant II Jeff Mumford (season 1; recurring season 2), the team leader of another SWAT Team alongside Hondo's. He has been divorced three times; in "Payback", he gets engaged again after only a month-long courtship.
 * Jay Harrington as Sergeant II David "Deacon" Kay, a 10-year veteran of the SWAT Team who was passed over for promotion in favor of Hondo. He is the only member of the team to be married and have children.  In "Shaky Town", it is revealed that he speaks fluent French.
 * David Lim as Officer III Victor Tan, a former officer with the LAPD Vice Squad. He joined SWAT three years prior to the series.
 * Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks (season 2; recurring season 1), a senior LAPD official with the Special Operations Bureau. He is a widower, and a longtime friend of the Kay family.  St. Esprit was promoted to a series regular for season 2.

Recurring

 * Louis Ferreira as Sergeant II William "Buck" Spivey, the previous LAPD SWAT Team Leader who was fired after accidentally shooting an unarmed black teenager during a shootout; he was replaced as team leader by Hondo. Buck was regarded as SWAT's best negotiator.
 * Aaron Bledsoe as Raymont Harris, the teenager shot by Buck. Hondo maintains contact with Harris after the incident.
 * Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rocker, a SWAT officer who is a member of Mumford's team.
 * Sherilyn Fenn as Karen Street, Jim Street's mother, who is in jail for killing Street's father. She is later paroled and lives with her son.
 * Bre Blair as Annie Kay, Deacon's wife of 10 years.
 * Peter Facinelli as Michael Plank, the President of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners who is currently working with Captain Cortez on various initiatives designed to improve relations between the LAPD and the community. Commissioner Plank also serves on the Los Angeles Board of Education.
 * Joseph Lee Anderson as Officer Tony Larmen, Street's patrol partner.

Development
On September 26, 2016, it was announced that Shawn Ryan had decided to develop a television series based on a movie, and had teamed with Original Film to develop the concept. CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television was shopping the show to the American broadcast networks. On February 3, 2017, it was announced that CBS had greenlit production of a pilot episode written by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan and directed by Justin Lin.

The new series was ordered by CBS on May 12, 2017. Co-creator and executive producers Thomas and Ryan will serve as the showrunners. The series premiered on November 2, 2017. On November 17, 2017, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 20 episodes and on December 1, 2017, CBS ordered two additional episodes for the first season bringing the total to 22 episodes.

Casting
In February 2017, Shemar Moore was announced as the new Hondo, alongside with new co-stars Kenny Johnson as Dominic Luca, who was originally named Brian Gamble, and Lina Esco as Christina "Chris" Alonzo, who also originally named Sanchez. Several additional cast members were announced in March 2017. Jay Harrington plays Officer Deacon Kay, Alex Russell is James "Jim" Street, and finally, Peter Onorati was cast as Jeff Mumford, are four member of the SWAT team of the Los Angeles Police Department in the original movie. On September 21, 2017, David Lim was cast in the role of Hondo's new co-member Victor Tan and was later promoted to series regular status for first season.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 42% approval rating, with an average rating of 4.59/10 based on 24 reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".