CBS’s announcement to fillBlue Bloods' time slot withS.W.A.T.after the family drama’s cancelation was great news at first but seems worrying now. The second half ofS.W.A.T.season 8will take overBlue Bloods' old time slot of Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. in January following the unceremonious cancelation of the popular show.S.W.A.T.’s replacement ofBlue Bloodsis bittersweet, but the former’s instability makes its future uncertain.
With the status ofS.W.A.T.season 9still undecided by CBS, there are some fears that the Shemar Moore-led show may followBlue Bloods' fate of being canceled despite its solid fan-base. With just eight seasons and already a history of cancelations,S.W.A.T. has had risks of premature finales before. The storylines of theS.W.A.T.characters seem hopeful that the show will continue past its current season 8, but its latest ratings might be moving toward a darker direction for the show’s future.
S.W.A.T. Season 8’s Ratings Are Considerably Lower Than Blue Bloods Season 14
S.W.A.T. Has A Lot To Make Up For
Despite both shows being widely popular and highly viewed series,Blue Bloods' season 14 ratingswere noticeably higher thanS.W.A.T.’s.According to a ranking created byTV Line,Blue Bloodsseason 14 raked in an average of 7.9 million viewers, whereasS.W.A.T.season 8 only generated an average of 5.6 million viewers. The discrepancy in viewers is made to seem even larger when the ranking of the shows is taken into consideration, asBlue Bloodscame in sixth place overall andS.W.A.T.was all the way down in sixteenth place.
S.W.A.T. Is Playing A Dangerous Game By Taking A Massive Risk With Season 8’s Story
Having returned after two back-to-back cancellations, CBS' S.W.A.T. is once again playing a dangerous game with the season 8 storylines.
While the ratings accounted for the early part of the 2024-2025 TV season whenBlue Bloodsstill aired at 10 p.m. andS.W.A.T.aired at 8 p.m., it is too large of a discrepancy to ignore even with the different time slots. Now thatS.W.A.T.will be taking overBlue Bloods' old time slot, it does give some hope thatS.W.A.T.might rise up in the rankings. However, givenBlue Bloods' high popularity, it also puts a lot of pressure onS.W.A.T.to prove itself as worthy of the new time.
Could S.W.A.T. Be Canceled Again?
S.W.A.T. Already Has A History Of Cancelations
Despite having lower ratings thanBlue Bloods,S.W.A.T.has had relatively consistent ratings within the last year. Its new move into the 10 p.m. time slot on Friday nights could also give it an increase in viewers, which could lead to a rise in the rankings. However, CBS' cancelation ofBlue Bloods,even with fantastic ratings, shows thatviewership alone is not enough to keep a show on the air. Its history of canceling popular and well-liked shows is a bad sign which is made worse byS.W.A.T.’s lower ranking.
Blue Bloods' impressive 14-season run is an exception to what is most common on network TV shows.
There are other factors involved in deciding whether to keep a show running or not, including expenses.Longer-running shows are typically more expensive, which is why it is more common to cancel shows after just a few seasons than to keep them airing for years on end.Blue Bloods' impressive 14-season run is an exception to what is most common on network TV shows. However, sinceS.W.A.T.only has eight seasons so far, its lower season count gives some hope that it will be renewed again, since it has lower expenses thanBlue Bloods.
Blue Bloods Already Has The Perfect Replacement Show With 100% On Rotten Tomatoes
The Raegans are preparing to say goodbye as Blue Bloods heads to its final episodes. Luckily, network TV already has a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
However, a factor working against aS.W.A.T.renewal is its history with cancelations.S.W.A.T.was originally canceled by CBS after only six seasonsbefore being renewed for its seventh and final season. After severalS.W.A.T.characters were given proper exits, the network reversed their decision and renewedS.W.A.T.for season 8. This means manyS.W.A.T.charactersreceived premature endings to their stories. It also means it is prone to unfortunate cancelations.
Canceling S.W.A.T. Would Be A Mistake After Blue Bloods
It Would Be Continuing A Dangerous Trend
Blue Bloods' cancelationwas met with heavy disappointment by both itscast and viewers. Its high rating during the 2024/2025 network TV season was particularly impressive given the fact that the show has been on the air for over 10 years and proof that it was still widely liked when it ended. Now thatS.W.A.T.is officially replacingBlue Bloods, it would be a mistake to cancel it so soon after cancelingBlue Bloods.
KeepingS.W.A.T.on after all the back-and-forth decisions to cancel and renew the show would help act as a peace offering…
CBS already has a trend of canceling well-liked shows and keepingS.W.A.T.in the 10 p.m. time slot for at least a few seasons would give the network a chance to move on from its disappointing tendency.Blue Bloodsstill had so many stories it could have told andS.W.A.T.does too. KeepingS.W.A.T.on after all its back-and-forth decisions regarding its future and simply renewing the show would help act as a peace offering after cancelingBlue Bloods.
S.W.A.T.
Cast
S.W.A.T. (2017): This crime-action series follows a locally born S.W.A.T. lieutenant in Los Angeles who must navigate his loyalties between the streets and his duty to commanding a highly-trained unit responsible for resolving challenging crimes. The series explores themes of allegiance, justice, and responsibility within law enforcement.
