Warning! SPOILERS ahead for S.W.A.T. season 8, episode 15, "Hostages."

CBS has a reason for not airing a new episode of S.W.A.T. tonight (March 21, 2025). CBS canceled S.W.A.T. for a third time, but there are still several episodes left before the Shemar Moore-led procedural wraps up its final season. S.W.A.T's inclusion on CBS' 2025 cancelation list makes it even more frustrating that it's not on this week, as there are so few episodes left to enjoy. Additionally, S.W.A.T. season 8, episode 15, titled "Hostages," features heart-pounding action that makes it hard to wait several weeks for the next installment.

The hostage situation in this episode comes out of an undercover operation that goes sideways. Hondo (Moore) and Tan (David Lim) get caught up in the situation while staking out a bus station in search of a perp named Goliath, who is supposed to grab an encrypted hard drive. Fleeing bank robbers burst into the station and take hostages, forcing the heroes to keep their identities as S.W.A.T team secret while trying to de-escalate the situation and find the target of their investigation. This exciting episode again demonstrates why it makes no sense for CBS to cancel S.W.A.T.

Why There Is No New S.W.A.T. Tonight (March 21, 2025)

All CBS Scripted Shows Are Pre-Empted For Basketball

As frustrating as it is, S.W.A.T's preemption tonight is unsurprising – with a TV show being preempted meaning it's bumped to make way for a more important event. Every March, CBS preempts its broadcast programming as needed to cover the March Madness basketball tournament. This yearly event starts out with 64 teams competing, which means there is not much room for CBS' other programming if the network wants to cover all the games. Thus, CBS has preempted all of its Friday night programming as well as its three daytime soap operas to cover all the games.

Unfortunately, CBS likely would have preempted S.W.A.T. even if there wasn't a basketball tournament. Many networks schedule breaks for popular shows during mid-to-late March. This practice ensures that the networks have enough episodes left of each show to last through late April or mid-May, when TV shows typically wrap up their seasons for the summer. CBS has announced season finale dates for many shows, and S.W.A.T.'s final episode will air on May 16, 2025. Thus, the network needs this break now to stretch out the remaining seven episodes of the procedural until its end date.

When Will S.W.A.T. Season 8, Episode 16 Release?

The Series Returns For Its Final Seven Episodes In April

S.W.A.T. is having one of its longer breaks. The basketball tournament is still ongoing on March 28, so CBS will again preempt all of its scripted programs in order to air it. However, S.W.A.T. will return on April 4, 2025 — three weeks after it first went on hiatus. That means there is a delay of almost a month before the procedural returns. However, this is the last scheduled break — barring an unforeseen event, S.W.A.T. will continuously air its final set of episodes once it returns.

Although this long break is frustrating, it also provides an opportunity to catch up on missed episodes of the procedural. All eight seasons of S.W.A.T., including the season currently in progress, are available to stream on Paramount+. This makes it easy for subscribers to watch or rewatch any episode that they wish while waiting for the next new broadcast in April. The availability of streamed episodes makes it easy to fill in any gaps in understanding the plot during the three-week hiatus.

What To Expect From The S.W.A.T. Episode

CBS Has Not Released Any Information Yet

CBS has not yet released a logline or promo for S.W.A.T. However, the new episode is sure to be as exciting and intense as the last, if not more so. As the procedural draws to a close, it will need to come to a strong climax in order to create a satisfying ending. Additionally, it will have to tie up many of its relationships. While it doesn't necessarily have to address Nichelle's (Rochelle Aytes) absence in a more significant manner than it has so far, it may decide to do so because the procedural is ending.

Its [S.W.A.T.'s] final episodes should focus on offering heart-pounding action and realistic police action, with stories about the relationships between characters serving as strong subplots.

S.W.A.T. may also want to begin to wrap up other relationships such as the relationship between Hondo and Gambler. However, it is first and foremost a procedural, so its final episodes should focus on offering heart-pounding action and realistic police action, with stories about the relationships between characters serving as strong subplots. The next episode is titled "Hail Mary," suggesting the team will have to take desperate action to save innocent people when the series finally returns from its hiatus.

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