Shemar Moore Recalls 'S.W.A.T.' Cancellation and Renewal: 'It Was Kind of Abrupt' (Exclusive)

S.W.A.T. is about to enter its seventh and final season, and it comes after the series went on a rollercoaster last year. The CBS drama was surprisingly canceled by the network after six seasons in May 2023, and after an uproar from both fans and the stars, the network and studio Sony Pictures Television came to an agreement to give the action series one final season, consisting of 13 episodes.

One of the stars to publicly open up about the cancellation was Shemar Moore. Having played Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson since the beginning and the lead of an ensemble cast, Moore had taken to Instagram following the cancellation to share his many feelings. Ahead of Season 7, the actor spoke to PopCulture.com, opening up about that fateful weekend and what pushed him to go all out on Instagram.

"My mama raised me to tell the truth, but be polite and be tactful. So we got canceled on Friday at around 6:00 PM, and it was kind of abrupt," Moore recalled. "At least weeks prior, we had heard nothing but good news that our numbers were doing well and things like that. And so when the cancellation happened, I was in shock a little bit. Then friends of mine and my girl were like, 'So how do you feel?" And I was like, 'Well, it kind of stinks, but this is business,' but it just was, we didn't see it coming. Then I sat with myself that evening, and I just was thinking about it, thinking about it, and then something moved me to make that video. And I attempted, and I feel like I only just gave perspective and told the truth, that our numbers were good, and fanfare was good, and we're resonating around the world."

"I said what I said, but my point of that video was just to say, 'If we're going to say goodbye, then that's fine, we'll say goodbye. But I just would love the opportunity to do it gracefully and just give us a farewell tour,' so to speak," Moore continued. "Things happened, and the right people, the powerful people, talk to each other, and then on Monday, we got picked back up. I don't take credit for saving the show, but I think I pointed out some facts and made people think. And I think the Neal Moritzs of the world and Sony and CBS looked at it and made it all make sense financially because this game is obviously about numbers and money first, and made it all make sense, and we were given the opportunity to have a final 13 episodes to say goodbye to seven years of making a really fun, cool show."

After the cancellation, there had been reports that CBS and Sony were in negotiations to renew the series for a final season, but when it was officially confirmed S.W.A.T. was coming back, fans were as happy as ever. Moore, on the other hand, shared his excitement about the renewal on Instagram but says he's happy for the show's hard-working crew as well. "It takes a village and roughly about 300 people that show up to work every day and make our show, and so they've got families, and they've got bills to pay, and so they're getting a paycheck so they can provide for their family and they're also given an opportunity to prepare for whatever the next chapter for each of us will be."

There is no telling what will be in store to wrap up S.W.A.T., but there are 13 episodes that fans will be able to look forward to. Catch up on all six seasons now on Netflix to see why the series was so deserving of a farewell season, and be sure to tune into the Season 7 premiere of S.W.A.T. on Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS' 2024 spring schedule.