Grading Fall Television’s Hits And Misses

Photo Credit: CBS

S.W.A.T.  — C

Like SEAL Team, S.W.A.T. is a generic procedural but it doesn’t matter because viewers are sticking with the show no matter what. Shemar Moore moved over from Criminal Minds and proves that he can leads his own series without a strong ensemble. Sergeant Daniel Harrelson, otherwise known as Hondo, is a former Marine who gets promoted to a team leader due to his connection to the Los Angeles community.

As a native to the city, he is meant to ease the tension between the community and the police department as hostility is on the rise. On that front, S.W.A.T. successfully shows off the diversity of a city like Los Angeles and has a relatively good hold on who they want Hondo to be. The acting is also pretty decent and good enough to keep watching the show despite some of the plot lines.

S.W.A.T. suffers froms a generic storyline which drags down a lot of episodes. However, most viewers are probably longtime fans of Moore from Criminal Minds and are interested in following his career. Hondo is basically Derek Morgan but now in charge of his own unit within the police department. Despite some of its drawbacks, the series manages to pull a healthy amount of viewership for CBS and makes it one of the higher rated fall television shows.

Averaging over six million viewers per episode, it is easily one of the most popular shows of the season. With relatively steady ratings, S.W.A.T. should be on its way to a renewal for a second season. Unlike the movie, the television show actually has a lot of heart and inspiration in it which will serve it well in the long run not just the fall.