S.W.A.T. (2017)
S.W.A.T. is a 2017 crime series created by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan. It stars Shemar Moore, Jay Harrington and David Lim.
Hondo Harrelson leads an elite tactical team through the streets of the city that raised him. Every call drops the unit into a hostage standoff, a barricaded suspect, or a manhunt, and Hondo carries the weight of policing a community that does not always trust the badge he wears. Around him sit a tight squad, personal loyalties, and department politics that complicate each raid. The show pairs kinetic set-pieces with an ongoing argument about who the police actually serve, keeping the action grounded in one Los Angeles neighborhood at a time.
Quick answers
What is S.W.A.T. about?
Hondo Harrelson leads an elite tactical team through the streets of the city that raised him. Every call drops the unit into a hostage standoff, a barricaded suspect, or a manhunt, and Hondo carries the weight of policing a community that does not always trust the badge he wears. Around him sit a tight squad, personal loyalties, and department politics that complicate each raid. The show pairs kinetic set-pieces with an ongoing argument about who the police actually serve, keeping the action grounded in one Los Angeles neighborhood at a time.
When was S.W.A.T. released?
S.W.A.T. was released on 2 November 2017.
How many episodes does S.W.A.T. have?
S.W.A.T. has 163 episodes across 8 seasons.
Who made S.W.A.T.?
S.W.A.T. was created by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Shawn Ryan and Robert Duncan.
Where can I watch S.W.A.T.?
S.W.A.T. is available on DirecTV On Demand, Netflix, Philo, YouTube TV, fuboTV and Pluto TV.
Where to watch S.W.A.T.
Stream: DirecTV On Demand, Netflix, Philo, YouTube TV, fuboTV
Watch free: Pluto TV
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home
Cast
- Shemar Moore as Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson
- Jay Harrington as David 'Deacon' Kay
- David Lim as Victor Tan
- Patrick St. Esprit as Robert 'Bob' Hicks
- Kenny Johnson as Dominique Luca
- Alex Russell as Jim Street
- Lina Esco as Christina 'Chris' Alonso
- Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle Carmichael
- Anna Enger Ritch as Zoe Powell
- Stephanie Sigman as Jessica Cortez
- Otis 'Odie' Gallop as Sgt. Stevens
- Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Donovan Rocker
Similar series
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A few thoughts on S.W.A.T.
The 2003 film S.W.A.T. gave this team its first screen outing and hits the same blend of squad banter and high-stakes raids. For hands-on tactical tension, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege puts you inside the breach-and-clear rhythm the show dramatizes, planning entries and reading rooms before the door comes down.
Elite units racing the clock to stop the next attack
S.W.A.T. drops Hondo's team into the next crisis before the last one has finished, and these elite-unit shows and games share that same pressure-cooker rhythm. 24 and Countdown run entire seasons on a ticking clock, The Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime build out the operators' lives behind the raids, and Rainbow Six Siege puts you inside the same room-clearing tactics from the operator's seat.
LAPD shows about the cost of policing your own neighborhood
S.W.A.T. keeps circling back to Hondo policing the same LA streets he grew up on, and this run of LAPD dramas shares that specific tension. Ballard and Law & Order: LA work the same city block by block, Dark Blue and The Shield dig into how far loyalty to the badge can bend before it breaks, and On Call and the original S.W.A.T. film supply the boots-on-the-ground procedure.
Detective fiction where cracking the case matters as much as the raid
S.W.A.T. pairs its raids with genuine investigative legwork, tracing a hostage situation or a manhunt back to its cause before the team moves in. Mr. Mercedes and Max Payne follow that same instinct toward the person behind the crime, while Heavy Rain, The Wolf Among Us, Disco Elysium and Detroit: Become Human turn interrogation and evidence-gathering into the main event.
Cop shows where the department's politics complicate every case
S.W.A.T. never lets Hondo's team operate in a vacuum, department politics and personal loyalties shape every call almost as much as the threat itself. The Closer and The Oath dig into the compromises that come with rank and secret allegiance, while Boston Blue, 21 Jump Street and The Rookie: Feds follow officers still learning where those lines actually sit.