Why Did Jim Street Leave S.W.A.T? Here’s How Alex Russell’s Character Was Written Off

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Brian LetscherS.W.A.T. has said goodbye to a beloved member of the team. Why did Jim Street leave S.W.A.T.? Keep reading to find out.

CBS’ S.W.A.T. is a police procedural drama that follows Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harelson (played by The Young and the Restless alum Shemar Moore), a former marine who’s hired to lead a new “last stop” Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. The series is based on the 1975 series and the 2003 movie of the same name. Rounding out the cast is Alex Russell as Jim Street, Kenny Johnson as Dominique Luca, Jay Harrington as David “Deacon” Kay, David Lim as Victor Tan, Patrick St. Esprit as Robert Hicks, Anna Enger Ritch as Zoe Powell and Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle Carmichael.

The series first premiered in 2017 and was briefly canceled by CBS in May 2023. A few days later, the network reversed its decision and renewed the show for a seventh and final season, which premiered on Feb. 16, 2024.

While fans were looking forward to seeing all of their favorite characters back in action one last time, that hasn’t been the case. Russell’s Jim Street left the show early on in Season 7 and only appeared in one episode. We have all the details on his exit below, including how he was written off the show.

Why did Jim Street leave S.W.A.T.?

Why did Jim Street leave S.W.A.T.? Alex Russell, who has starred as Jim Street since Season 1, was demoted from a series regular ahead of Season 7 and only appeared in one episode of the currently airing final season.

He announced the news on Feb. 11, 2024. “Dear SWAT fans … As many of you will now be aware, I will not be returning as a series regular in season 7,” Russell wrote on Instagram. “I’m so very thankful for having had the opportunity to bring Jim Street to life and for having shared this incredible experience with my SWAT family – it’s been a blast.” Russell added: “All of us at SWAT are forever grateful to each and every fan for making our amazing job possible. I know in this final season, we’ll give you the grand finish you deserve and don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of Jim Street yet! 😊.”

Street was the newest recruit on the S.W.A.T. team, having transferred over from the Long Beach Police Department in Season 1. Early on in the show, he was known for being impulsive and a bit of a rule-breaker, which caused some tension between him and Hondo. He was also a favorite amongst fans, who commented on Russell’s post and shared how sad they were about the news. “So disappointing! I wanted to see all of the characters on all of the episodes,” one fan wrote. Another chimed in: “Then I’m done seeing SWAT ! 😌 I go where you go!”

Ahead of the Season 7 premiere, showrunner Andrew Dettmann explained that the casting change-up was made to give each character, including Street, a “proper curtain call.” He told TVLine: “The episodes that we have for them are really focused on their characters and the evolution of their storylines.”

“The idea for the final 13 was that, if this was the end for us, nobody feels like they were underserved,” Dettman continued, adding that he is “really excited” about the episode Street is featured in. “The idea for the final 13 was that, if this was the end for us, nobody feels like they were underserved,” he said. “There are some really good episodes for [Street].”

Street was not featured in the first two episodes of Season 7, but fans quickly learned that he was off working with the Long Beach S.W.A.T. team and whipping them into shape, also earning himself the nickname “Hollywood.” In the fifth episode, titled “End of the Road,” the Los Angeles and Long Beach squads teamed up to take down a biker club. In the process, Street’s old Long Beach boss, Sergeant Barry Jones (Brian Letscher), was shot and killed.

The former rookie steps up and leads the Long Beach squad, successfully taking down the biker club’s leader. Before taking off for Long Beach again, Street said his final goodbye to Hondo. “You taught me to be a S.W.A.T. officer, and then you taught me to be a leader. Right now, they need a leader,” he said. “I owe you, this team, everything. It saved me. I’m not sure I know how to leave it behind.” And while teams do come and go and can’t be perfect forever, when “20-Squad was perfect, it was perfect.” Hondo responded: “I never thought the screw-up I had to fire would be the one I’d have the hardest time saying goodbye to.”

S.W.A.T. Season 7 airs on Fridays at 8/7c and streams on Paramount+.

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