When is SWAT Season 6 on Netflix?

With Seasons 1-5 of SWAT making a surprising jump over to Netflix, fans might be wondering: when will Season 6 drop on the streaming platform?

It’s been a bit of a hectic time for SWAT, the procedural action series starring Shemar Moore as a “former Marine and locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant who is tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles.”

On May 5, the series became the latest to hit the chopping block, with the announcement that it would be canceled after Season 6. However, amid a strong backlash from the fans and Moore, just three days later, the cancellation was reversed with news that a seventh and final season will go ahead. 

In yet another surprising twist, Seasons 1-5 of SWAT, which exists in a shared universe with FX’s The Shield, dropped on Netflix US on May 17. With the sixth installment currently airing, here’s what you need to know about when Season 6 will arrive on the streamer.

When is SWAT Season 6 on Netflix?

Although there’s no official release date for when SWAT Season 6 drops on Netflix, reports state that it will arrive in fall 2023. 

This is because the episodes are still airing on their home network CBS, with the finale set to drop on May 19, 2023. So while there’s a fair few months to wait, Netflix has made a deal with the show’s co-production company, Sony Pictures TV, meaning Season 6 will eventually hit the platform. 

That being said, if you don’t want to wait until later this year, all episodes of Season 6 are available to stream on Paramount+. We can expect the same setup with SWAT Season 7 when it arrives too, although this is yet to be confirmed. 

Why was SWAT canceled in the first place?

According to Deadline, SWAT – which is based on the 1975 series and the feature film of the same name – was reportedly cancelled due to CBS and Sony TV being unable to “come to a financial agreement.”

An earlier report suggested that “those early renewals the last few years had come with the network keeping the license fee unchanged, which had put more and more pressure on the budget and further squeezed the show’s profit margins since costs of producing TV shows increase every year.”

The outlet went on to say that Sony was allegedly not prepared to make another renewal at a flat license fee due to the impact it would have on the show’s finances. 

However, the news was met with a strong backlash from the fans, as well as lead star Shemar Moore, who took to Instagram to say: “It makes no sense.”

“We’re the best show on Friday night at 8 o’clock for CBS,” he added. “The last two years we’ve been killing it. We’ve done nothing wrong. We did everything that was asked for.”

Thankfully, the cancellation was swiftly reversed, and SWAT will be back for a seventh season now after all, with 13 episodes set to round off the series. 

CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and Sony TV Studios president Katherine Pope said in a joint statement: “We have listened to our viewers and their outpouring of passion for S.W.A.T. and we have reached an agreement to renew it for a final season of 13 episodes to air during the 2023-2024 broadcast year.

“S.W.A.T. has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following. We are pleased that we found a way to bring it back and give closure to the show’s storylines and characters, which audiences deserve. 

“Once again, we appreciate the talents and efforts of the cast, writers, producers and crew and everyone who has contributed to the success of S.W.A.T. We look forward to its return next season.”

SWAT Seasons 1-5 are available to stream on Netflix now, while Seasons 6 is available on Paramount+, with the finale dropping on May 19, 2023. In the meantime, check out our other TV and Movie hubs below: 

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