Alex Russell Returns to ‘S.W.A.T.’ After Show’s Surprise Renewal

Russell is directing an upcoming episode of ‘S.W.A.T.,’ airing on Apr. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

April 25, 2024, 7:33pm

LOS ANGELES – OCTOBER 21: "Monster" — The SWAT team's task to provide security for a warlord is threatened by assassins determined to take him out before he's extradited by the International Criminal Court. Also, Hondo's father, Daniel Sr. (Obba Babatundé), tries to make amends to his mother, Charice (Debbie Allen), Street's foster brother, Nate (Cory Hardrict), asks for his help with a corrupt boss and Deacon reluctantly explores therapy for his daughter, Lila (Amanda Lowe-Oadell), on S.W.A.T., Wednesday, Dec. 11 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (L-R): Alex Russell as Jim Street. (Photo by Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images)

Following his recent departure, Alex Russell is returning to S.W.A.T. The actor portrayed rebel Jim Street on the CBS procedural since the beginning. He was demoted to recurring for the current seventh season when it was initially the final season. Fans said goodbye to Street earlier this season when he decided to lead a S.W.A.T. team back in Long Beach after they lost their squad leader. Now Russell is back but on the other side of the camera.

TV Insider reports that Russell will be directing an upcoming episode of S.W.A.T., which airs this Friday, Apr. 26. This will mark the third episode he’s directed, after directing an episode of Season 5 and Season 6. Russell has been sharing some fun behind-the-scenes photos on his Instagram of him in director mode, including a video of him in action directing his former co-stars.

Videos by PopCulture.com

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonathan Davino (@davinophotostudio)

News of Russell’s brief return come on the heels of S.W.A.T.. After getting canceled last year, CBS quickly reversed its decision to give the series a seventh and final season. People had hoped that it wouldn’t be the final season, including Shemar Moore, who was open about his optimism for another season. CBS recently announced a 22-episode eighth season, making people very happy. What this means for characters such as Street and Luca, who both left 20-Squad this season, as well as Deacon, as the show is setting up his retirement, is unknown. But with Russell coming back to direct, it’s always possible he will be coming back on-screen.

Even though Alex Russell is only directing tomorrow’s episode, his return is still an exciting one. Given the fact that this was likely the first time he was back on set since his departure, that reunion probably felt like it was a long time coming. Hopefully, this isn’t the last time he returns to the series, and the next time he does, fingers crossed, it’s for an on-screen appearance. Street did share that he was planning on proposing to Chris before riding off on his motorcycle to leave the team for good. A Stris wedding definitely needs to be in the cards, or at the very least, an appearance from the happy couple.

Make sure to tune in to Russell’s return to S.W.A.T. as a director in the new episode airing on Friday, Apr. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The Season 7 finale airs on May 17.