The Big Picture

• Jay Harrington's character, Deacon, will return in S.W.A.T. season 8 despite his retirement storyline.
• The show was initially canceled after six seasons but was renewed for a seventh and eighth season.
• Showrunner Dettman assures fans that the signature action of S.W.A.T. will continue in season 8.

Fans were no doubt excited to see S.W.A.T picked up by CBS for its eighth season and now, showrunner Andrew Dettman has exciting news about a star's return in the upcoming season. Speaking with TVLine, Dettman confirmed that Jay Harrington’s character, Sergeant II David "Deacon" Kay, who is the main focus in the season 7 finale, will be back despite his retirement storyline. The update comes after two main stars, Alex Russell and Kenny Johnson, left the show.

Based on the 1975 TV series and 2003 movie of the same name, S.W.A.T. is developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan and premiered on CBS on November 2, 2017. However, the series was canceled after six seasons in May 2023, only to be renewed for a seventh and final season several days later. Fortunately, the second cancelation was reversed, and it was renewed for an eighth season last month.

While showrunner Dettman initially questioned himself about removing Harrington's character from the picture, he now assures fans that the star will remain a part of the team moving forward. He shared, "Yeah, he was always going to be there. We knew Jay [Harrington] would be around. That was the one thing where I questioned myself a bit: the storyline of him retiring and coming back. I was a little worried after losing Street and Luca, that even faking that we were losing Deacon would turn people off. I’m hoping it didn’t, and I don’t think it did. So, yeah, Deacon’s back and is part of the team going forward."

'S.W.A.T.'s Signature Action Will Continue In Season 8

S.W.A.T. season 8, comprising 22 episodes, is scheduled to premiere during the 2024/2025 television season. Dettman approved of the show's renewal as he previously revealed that he and lead star Shemar Moore had had lots of conversations throughout the production of season 7, "confident that if we continued to tell great stories punctuated by S.W.A.T.’s signature action, our amazing fans would stay with us, giving us a good shot at another season."

Harrington Is a Network TV Staple

Harrington has been with S.W.A.T. since the series began airing in 2017, and is also known for roles on Desperate Housewives, Better Off Ted, and Hot in Cleveland. Just before joining the S.W.A.T. team (pun intended), he had a featured role on Suits, which has become a streaming sensation on Netflix. He’s also featured in films like A Monster in Paris, American Reunion, and most recently, Turkey Hollow.

Earlier in April, CBS' President of Entertainment Amy Reisenbach announced S.W.A.T.'s comeback, expressing delight to partner with SONY, CBS Studios, and Moore, to keep the show running. In her words, "Here at CBS, we always 'stay liquid' and love a good dramatic twist, especially when it leads to an eighth season of S.W.A.T.! The show continues to resonate with viewers thanks to our talented cast led by Shemar Moore and our amazing writers and producers who keep the show relevant and action-packed. We’re very pleased to renew it again and incredibly grateful to our partners at SONY, CBS Studios, and Shemar for working so closely with us to bring it back for next season."

Previous seasons of S.W.A.T. are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more information.