Just because S.W.A.T. is coming to an end for a third time doesn’t mean viewers will be satisfied with the conclusion.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, star Annie Ilonzeh admitted it is “really hard to say satisfied” about the series finale, adding, “There was so much more juice to squeeze out of it. So you’re really like, ‘Wait, I just left a whole meal on the table. I am not full. I’m not satisfied.’”
Ilonzeh — and the rest of the cast — were still happy with the attempt at a resolution.
“In terms of storytelling and it being a farewell, I think we’re all happy with where these futures would live,” she noted. “But it still leaves you with some questions. There are questions.”
Based on the 1975 TV show and 2003 film adaptation of the same name, S.W.A.T. is centered around the Los Angeles Police Department. The CBS series premiered in 2017 and aired six seasons before it was picked up for a seventh and final run. CBS ultimately reversed the decision and S.W.A.T. got a season 8. But the celebration didn’t last long — the network cancelled the show for a second time in March.
“This show is so damn good. I’m talking about the things that happened in front of the camera that you guys experienced, the things that happened behind the camera — all of it as a whole. It is such a bummer [but] we’re still fighting,” Ilonzeh, 41, explained. “We’ve got our petition with 70,000 signatures and it’s continuing to grow. Every time we do a massive push on our socials, people [join the] fight when they sign and they start reposting and we do have some bites.”
Ilonzeh clarified that the fight isn’t over for another renewal.
“We are crossing our fingers. So there is a particular discussion being had. I hope I can say [soon] that we really did it. We rallied for a third time,” she added. “But we’re making noise. They do see it — producers and streamers that are interested — they are like, ‘OK, this is something.’ So if we can plug and play, we’re all geared up to go. We don’t want this ride to be over.”
If S.W.A.T. was to receive another renewal, it would be its last, with Ilonzeh revealing, “I was just talking to [my costar] Shemar [Moore] yesterday and he was like, ‘If we do this for a third time — whenever we do get canceled again — I will be OK with it. I’m not fighting for a fourth [time] because we really did it and we end on that.’ We will end on the fight and the win and relish in all of this and squeeze the life out of it. We will know that we did it, we did our job and we can walk away happy campers.”
The cast of the hit procedural are just grateful for the overwhelming fan support.
“What a great accomplishment, if we could get to double digit seasons. It’s still great to be able to celebrate long-lasting TV with a built-in fan base. That becomes your family,” Ilonzeh concluded. “We’re crossing our fingers with our numbers going up on the petition. But also we are hopeful that they really take that noise serious and go, ‘Let’s do this.’”
S.W.A.T. airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
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