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S.W.A.T. (1975 TV series)

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For other uses, see Swat.

S.W.A.T.
GenrePolice procedural
Action
Crime drama
Created byRobert Hamner
Developed byRick Husky
StarringSteve Forrest
Robert Urich
Rod Perry
Mark Shera
James Coleman
Theme music composerBarry De Vorzon
Opening theme"Theme from S.W.A.T."
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAaron Spelling
Leonard Goldberg
ProducerRobert Hamner
CinematographyTim Southcott
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time49–50 minutes
Production companySpelling-Goldberg Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseFebruary 24, 1975 (1975-02-24) –
April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03)
Related
S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series)

S.W.A.T. is an American police procedural action crime drama television series created by Robert Hamner, developed by Rick Husky, and produced by Hamner, Aaron Spelling, and Leonard Goldberg under Spelling-Goldberg Productions.[1]

The series aired for two seasons on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. A spin-off of The Rookies,[2] developed from a two-part pilot aired on February 17, 1975, S.W.A.T. follows a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in an unnamed Californian city. The series stars Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry, Mark Shera, and James Coleman as the titular team's officers.

S.W.A.T. was filmed in and around Los Angeles.[3] Richard Kelbaugh, a former LAPD Metropolitan Division SWAT officer, served as a technical advisor.[citation needed]

The series' opening theme was composed by Barry De Vorzon;[4] an official rearrangement by Rhythm Heritage reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States on the chart date of February 28, 1976.[5]

S.W.A.T. was popular with audiences, but controversies surrounding its depictions of violence ultimately led to the cancellation of a third season.[2]

S.W.A.T.'s legacy spawned a 2003 film adaptation directed by Clark Johnson for Columbia Pictures, and a 2017 television series reboot developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan for CBS, both of the same name.[6] In 2025, a new spinoff (titled S.W.A.T. Exiles) was announced after the 2017 series was cancelled after eight seasons.[7]

Synopsis

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S.W.A.T. is set in the same fictional universe as The Rookies,[2] in an unnamed Californian metropolis loosely based on Los Angeles, and follows the newly-established SWAT unit of the Western California Police Department (WCPD). The series specifically follows Olympic SWAT, a five-man SWAT team assigned to Olympic Precinct, headquartered in the precinct's basement. Issued equipment ranging from weapons like the M16 rifle, Winchester Model 70, and Federal Riot Gun,[8] to crucial tools like grappling hooks, tear gas, and bulletproof vests, SWAT is trained and equipped to resolve situations regular police units cannot, such as standoffs, crisis negotiation, hostage-takings, robberies, active shooters, assassinations, bomb threats, organized crime, and terrorism.

Heading Olympic SWAT is Lieutenant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, the squad leader and the series' protagonist, assisted by Sergeant David "Deacon" Kay, the team's chaplain and sole African-American officer. Under Harrelson and Kay's command are Jim Street, a former patrol officer who joins SWAT after his partner is killed by an anti-police gang; Dominic Luca, a single-but-seeking Italian-American who joins SWAT from the Narcotics Division and often serves as comic relief; and Travis Joseph "T.J." McCabe, the team's sniper who is selected for SWAT for his natural marksmanship skills. Their SWAT vehicle and mobile command center, an early-1970s International Harvester Metro Van fitted with an armory and police radio, is driven by "Sam", an unseen, mostly silent character played by an uncredited actor.

The personal lives of the SWAT officers, particularly Harrelson, were focal points of numerous episodes; Harrelson's wife Betty and their two young sons often appeared as major characters and plot points. Police officials and friends of the team were also recurring characters, such as Chief Edward Roman, the WCPD's chief of police, and Hilda, a sandwich vendor known for selling cheap sandwiches made of leftovers to Olympic Precinct.

Cast

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Main

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Forrest

Recurring

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Notable guest stars

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"The Killing Ground" (S1.E1)
"A Coven of Killers" (S1.E2)
"Death Carrier" (S1.E3)
"Pressure Cooker" (S1.E4)
"Hit Men" (S1.E5)
"Jungle War" (S1.E6)
"Death Score" (S1.E7)
"The Bravo Enigma" (S1.E8)
"The Steel-Plated Security Blanket" (S1.E9)
"Omega One" (S1.E10)
"Blind Man's Bluff" (S1.E11)
"Sole Survivor" (S1.E12)
"Deadly Tide" (S2.E1-2)
"Kill S.W.A.T." (S2.E3)
"Dealers in Death" (S2.E4)
"Time Bomb" (S2.E5)
"The Vendetta" (S2.E6)
"Criss-Cross" (S2.E7)
"Vigilante" (S2.E8)
"Courthouse" (S2.E9)
"Ordeal" (S2.E10)
"Strike Force" (S2.E11)
"The Swinger" (S2.E12)
"Terror Ship" (S2.E13)
"Murder by Fire" (S2.E14)
"Silent Night, Deadly Night" (S2.E15)
"The Running Man" (S2.E16-17)
"Lessons in Fear" (S2.E18)
"Deadly Weapons" (S2.E19)
"The Chinese Connection" (S2.E20)
"Dragons and Owls" (S2.E21)
"Any Second Now" (S2.E22)
"Soldier on the Hill" (S2.E23)
"Dangerous Memories" (S2.E24)
"Officer Luca, You're Dead" (S2.E25)

Episodes

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Main article: List of S.W.A.T. (1975 TV series) episodes
Season Episodes First aired Last aired
1 12 February 24, 1975 (1975-02-24) May 26, 1975 (1975-05-26)
2 25 September 13, 1975 (1975-09-13) April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03)

Broadcast and syndication

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On October 1, 2011, S.W.A.T. began airing on Antenna TV for a period of time before it became a full sitcom network[9] and in Australia on 7mate in 2012. In May 2016, it began airing on getTV until its removal.[citation needed]

The series occasionally airs in weekend binges on the OTA network Decades (now Catchy Comedy).[citation needed]

Episodes also appeared on The Roku Channel and Tubi for an undetermined length of time. Currently, the show airs on MeTV+ weekdays at 2:00pm EST/11:00am PST.[citation needed]

Home media

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DVD

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The first season of S.W.A.T. was released on DVD on June 3, 2003[10] to tie-in with the release of the feature film. Season Two's episode "Time Bomb" was actually produced for Season One and, as such, "Time Bomb" is Episode 8 on the Season One DVD set. The Season One DVD set has a total of 13 episodes.

On February 10, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released the second and final season on DVD on May 22, 2012.[11]

On January 16, 2018, Mill Creek Entertainment released S.W.A.T.: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[12]

Streaming

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As of March 2009, the show can be purchased on iTunes.

Reception

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The violent television series premiered at a time when violence on television began to become a subject of controversy,[2] and the actual LAPD Metropolitan Division on which the fictional SWAT team had been modeled was harshly critical of its depiction of such teams.[13]

Franchise

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Film adaptation

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A film version of the series, S.W.A.T., was released in 2003 starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson. Steve Forrest has a cameo role as a police truck driver and Rod Perry (the original TV series' "Deacon" Kay) plays the father of LL Cool J's character Deacon "Deke" Kaye.[6]

In 2011 and 2017, two direct-to-DVD sequels titled S.W.A.T.: Firefight and S.W.A.T.: Under Siege were released; they bore little connection to the TV series, the 2003 film, or to each other.

Television series reboot

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On May 12, 2017, a new version of S.W.A.T. starring Shemar Moore as Hondo was ordered to series by CBS.[14][15] The new series premiered on November 2, 2017.[16] This reboot series was far more successful with an eight season run and over 163 episodes. In 2025, a new spinoff (titled S.W.A.T. Exiles) was announced after the series was cancelled.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Hames-Garcia, Michael Roy (2011). Identity Complex: Making the Case for Multiplicity. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-3267-5. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Snauffer, Douglas M. (September 30, 2006). Crime Television. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 98–100. ISBN 978-0-3130-5495-2. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  3. ^ Boon, Alan (2023). "The Telephemera Years: 1974, part 1". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  4. ^ Deaville, James, ed. (March 2011). Music in Television: Channels of Listening. Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-1368-2636-8. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Tate, Marsha Ann; Houser, Earl (January 28, 2022). What America Watched: Television Favorites from the Cornfields to the Cosmos, 1960s-1990s. McFarland. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4766-8057-6. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Mitchell, Elvis (August 8, 2003). "S W A T (2003) FILM REVIEW; Working Up a S.W.E.A.T." The New York Times.
  7. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (May 18, 2025). "'S.W.A.T.' Spinoff Planned By Sony With Shemar Moore Set To Reprise His Role As Hondo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 19, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "S.W.A.T. (1975)". Internet Movie Firearms Database. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  9. ^ S.W.A.T. on Antenna TV
  10. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for the 1st Season of S.W.A.T." TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012.
  11. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for S.W.A.T. - The Final Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  12. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "S.W.A.T. - 10 Things You Might Not Know about the 1970s Show". www.get.tv. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 28, 2017). "'Criminal Minds' Alum Shemar Moore to Star in 'S.W.A.T.' Reboot at CBS". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  15. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 12, 2017). "CBS Orders Boreanaz' SEAL Team, Moore's S.W.A.T., Cumming's Instinct, Piven's Wisdom, Plus 2 Comedies". TVLine. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  16. ^ "CBS Announces New 2017–2018 Fall Schedule" (Press release). CBS. May 17, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017 – via The Futon Critic.
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