S.W.A.T. (1975 TV series)

American television series (1975–1976)

For other uses, see Swat.

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S.W.A.T.

Genre| Police procedural
Action
Crime drama
Created by| Robert Hamner
Developed by| Rick Husky
Starring| Steve Forrest
Robert Urich
Rod Perry
Mark Shera
James Coleman
Theme music composer| Barry De Vorzon
Opening theme| "Theme from S.W.A.T."
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers| Aaron Spelling
Leonard Goldberg
Producer| Robert Hamner
Cinematography| Tim Southcott
Camera setup| Single-camera
Running time| 49–50 minutes
Production company| Spelling-Goldberg Productions
Original release
Network| ABC
Release| February 24, 1975 (1975-02-24) –
April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03)
Related
S.W.A.T. (2017)

S.W.A.T. is an American police procedural action crime drama television series created by Robert Hamner, developed by Rick Husky, and produced by Hamner, Aaron Spelling, and Leonard Goldberg under Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The series aired for two seasons on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. A spin-off of The Rookies, developed from a two-part pilot aired on February 17, 1975, S.W.A.T. follows a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in an unnamed Californian city. The series stars Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry, Mark Shera, and James Coleman as the titular team's officers.

S.W.A.T. was filmed in and around Los Angeles. Richard Kelbaugh, a former LAPD Metropolitan Division SWAT officer, served as a technical advisor. The series' opening theme was composed by Barry De Vorzon; an official rearrangement by Rhythm Heritage reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States on the chart date of February 28, 1976.

S.W.A.T. was popular with audiences, but controversies surrounding its depictions of violence ultimately led to the cancellation of a third season. However, its legacy spawned a 2003 film adaptation directed by Clark Johnson for Columbia Pictures, and a 2017 television series remake developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan for CBS, both of the same name.[1]

## Synopsis

[edit]

S.W.A.T. is set in the same fictional universe as The Rookies, in an unnamed Californian metropolis loosely based on Los Angeles, and follows the newly-established SWAT unit of the Western California Police Department (WCPD). The series specifically follows Olympic SWAT, a five-man SWAT team assigned to Olympic Precinct, headquartered in the precinct's basement. Issued equipment ranging from weapons like the M16 rifle, Winchester Model 70, and Federal Riot Gun, to crucial tools like grappling hooks, tear gas, and bulletproof vests, SWAT is trained and equipped to resolve situations regular police units cannot, such as standoffs, crisis negotiation, hostage-takings, robberies, active shooters, assassinations, bomb threats, organized crime, and terrorism.

Heading Olympic SWAT is Lieutenant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, the squad leader and the series' protagonist, assisted by Sergeant David "Deacon" Kay, the team's chaplain and sole African-American officer. Under Harrelson and Kay's command are Jim Street, a former patrol officer who joins SWAT after his partner is killed by an anti-police gang; Dominic Luca, a single-but-seeking Italian-American who joins SWAT from the Narcotics Division and often serves as comic relief; and Travis Joseph "T.J." McCabe, the team's sniper who is selected for SWAT for his natural marksmanship skills. Their SWAT vehicle and mobile command center, an early-1970s International Harvester Metro Van fitted with an armory and police radio, is driven by "Sam", an unseen, mostly silent character played by an uncredited actor.

The personal lives of the SWAT officers, particularly Harrelson, were focal points of numerous episodes; Harrelson's wife Betty and their two young sons often appeared as major characters and plot points. Police officials and friends of the team were also recurring characters, such as Chief Edward Roman, the WCPD's chief of police, and Hilda, a sandwich vendor known for selling cheap sandwiches made of leftovers to Olympic Precinct.

## Cast

[edit]

Steve Forrest as Hondo Harrelson.

* Steve Forrest as Lt. Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson
* Robert Urich as Officer Jim Street
* Rod Perry as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay
* Mark Shera as Officer Dominic Luca
* James Coleman as Officer Travis Joseph "T.J." McCabe
* Ellen Weston as Betty Harrelson (recurring role)
* Rose Marie as Hilda (recurring role)
* Richard O'Brien as Chief Edward Roman (recurring role)

### Notable guest stars

[edit]

* Charles Aidman
* Loni Anderson
* Luke Askew
* Joanna Barnes
* Carl Betz
* Peter Breck
* Timothy Brown
* Frank Campanella
* Darleen Carr
* Michael Conrad
* Elisha Cook Jr.
* Ji-Tu Cumbuka
* James Darren
* John Dehner
* Susan Dey
* Elinor Donahue
* Ike Eisenmann
* Anthony Eisley
* John Ericson
* Farrah Fawcett
* Anitra Ford
* Anne Francis
* Christopher George
* Bruce Glover
* Frank Gorshin
* Virginia Gregg
* Laurence Haddon
* Deidre Hall
* Marianna Hill
* Mitzi Hoag
* James Hong
* Diana Hyland
* Sam Jaffe
* Anthony James
* James Keach
* Steven Keats
* Sandra Kerns
* Geoffrey Lewis
* Robert Loggia
* John Lupton
* Janet Margolin
* Murray Matheson
* Jim McMullan
* Jimmy McNichol
* Heather Menzies
* Donna Mills
* Sal Mineo
* Cameron Mitchell
* Lynne Moody
* Stu Nahan
* Leslie Nielsen
* Simon Oakland
* Annette O'Toole
* Lara Parker
* Neva Patterson
* Ed Peck
* Judson Pratt
* Logan Ramsey
* Aldo Ray
* Bert Remsen
* Andrew Robinson
* Al Ruscio
* James Shigeta
* Phil Silvers
* Tom Skerritt
* Mark Slade
* William Smith
* Austin Stoker
* Don Stroud
* Susan Sullivan
* Kenneth Tobey
* Berlinda Tolbert
* Ronne Troup
* Forrest Tucker
* Joe Turkel
* John Vernon
* Gary Vinson
* Leslie Ann Warren
* Michael Warren
* Carl Weathers
* Robert Webber
* Stuart Whitman
* Hal Williams
* William Windom
* Ben Wright
* H. M. Wynant
* Harris Yulin

## Episodes

[edit]

Main article: List of S.W.A.T. (1975 TV series) episodes

Season  | Episodes  | First aired  | Last aired

|
|
|

| 1 | 12  | February 24, 1975 (1975-02-24) | May 26, 1975 (1975-05-26)
| 2 | 25  | September 13, 1975 (1975-09-13) | April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03)

## Broadcast and syndication

[edit]

On October 1, 2011, S.W.A.T. began airing on Antenna TV for a period of time[2] and in Australia on 7mate in 2012. In May 2016, it began airing on getTV. In December 2021, it aired on Rewind TV.

The series occasionally airs in weekend binges on the OTA network Decades. [citation needed]

Episodes also airing on the Roku Channel for an undetermined length of time. Currently the show airs on MeTv+ weekdays at 11:00am PST.

## Home media

[edit]

### DVD

[edit]

The first season of S.W.A.T. was released on DVD on June 3, 2003[3] to tie-in with the release of the feature film. Season Two's episode "Time Bomb" was actually produced for Season One and, as such, "Time Bomb" is Episode 8 on the Season One DVD set. The Season One DVD set has a total of 13 episodes.

On February 10, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released the second and final season on DVD on May 22, 2012.[4]

On January 16, 2018, Mill Creek Entertainment released S.W.A.T.: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[5]

### Streaming

[edit]

As of March 2009, the show can be purchased on iTunes.

## Reception

[edit]

The violent television series premiered at a time when violence on television began to become a subject of controversy, and the actual LAPD Metropolitan Division on which the fictional SWAT team had been modeled was harshly critical of its depiction of such teams.[6]

## Franchise

[edit]

### Film adaptation

[edit]

A film version of the series, S.W.A.T., was released in 2003 starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson.[1] Steve Forrest has a cameo role as a police truck driver[1] and Rod Perry (the original TV series' "Deacon" Kay) plays the father of LL Cool J's character Deacon "Deke" Kaye.[1]

In 2011 and 2017, two direct-to-DVD sequels titled S.W.A.T.: Firefight and S.W.A.T.: Under Siege were released; they bore little connection to the TV series, the 2003 film, or to each other.

### Television series remake

[edit]

On May 12, 2017, a new version of S.W.A.T. starring Shemar Moore as Hondo was ordered to series by CBS.[7][8] The new series premiered on November 2, 2017.[9] This remake series was far more successful with a seven season run and 120 episodes.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Mitchell, Elvis (August 8, 2003). "S W A T (2003) FILM REVIEW; Working Up a S.W.E.A.T." The New York Times.
2. ^ S.W.A.T. on Antenna TV
3. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for the 1st Season of S.W.A.T. - TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012.
4. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for S.W.A.T. - The Final Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
5. ^ "S.W.A.T. DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
6. ^ "S.W.A.T. - 10 Things You Might Not Know about the 1970s Show". www.get.tv. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
7. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 28, 2017). "'Criminal Minds' Alum Shemar Moore to Star in 'S.W.A.T.' Reboot at CBS". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
8. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 12, 2017). "CBS Orders Boreanaz' SEAL Team, Moore's S.W.A.T., Cumming's Instinct, Piven's Wisdom, Plus 2 Comedies". TVLine. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
9. ^ CBS (May 17, 2017). "CBS Announces New 2017–2018 Fall Schedule" (Press release). Retrieved November 8, 2017 - via The Futon Critic.

## External links

[edit]

* S.W.A.T. at IMDb
* S.W.A.T. at epguides.com

* v
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S.W.A.T.

Television|

* The Rookies
* 1975 series
* episodes
* 2017 series
* episodes
* season 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* characters

Film|

* S.W.A.T. (2003)
* S.W.A.T.: Firefight (2011)
* S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017)

Other media|

* S.W.A.T. (2003 soundtrack)
* "Theme from S.W.A.T."

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Works produced by Aaron Spelling

Feature films|

* Guns of the Timberland (1960)
* California Split (1974)
* Baby Blue Marine (1976)
* Mr. Mom (1983)
* 'night, Mother (1986)
* Surrender (1987)
* Three O'Clock High (1987)
* Cross My Heart (1987)
* Satisfaction (1988)
* Loose Cannons (1990)
* Soapdish (1991)
* The Mod Squad (1999)
* Charlie's Angels (2000)

TV series|

* Zane Grey Theatre (1956–61)
* Johnny Ringo (1959–60)
* The Dick Powell Show (1961–63)
* The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962–63)
* Burke's Law (1963–66)
* Honey West (1965–66)
* The Smothers Brothers Show (1965–66)
* Rango (1967)
* The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967–69)
* The Mod Squad (1968–73)
* The New People (1969–70)
* The Young Rebels (1970–71)
* The Most Deadly Game (1970–71)
* The Rookies (1972–76)
* Chopper One (1974)
* Firehouse (1974)
* S.W.A.T. (1975–76)
* Starsky & Hutch (1975–79)
* Family (1976–80)
* Charlie's Angels (1976–81)
* Fantasy Island (1977–84)
* The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977)
* The Love Boat (1977–87)
* Vegas (1978–81)
* Friends (1979)
* Hart to Hart (1979–84)
* B.A.D. Cats (1980)
* Dynasty (1981–89)
* Aloha Paradise (1981)
* Strike Force (1981–82)
* T. J. Hooker (1982–86)
* Matt Houston (1982–85)
* At Ease (1983)
* Hotel (1983–88)
* Glitter (1984–85)
* Finder of Lost Loves (1984–85)
* MacGruder and Loud (1985)
* Hollywood Beat (1985)
* The Colbys (1985–87)
* Life with Lucy (1986)
* CBS Summer Playhouse (1987)
* HeartBeat (1988–89)
* Nightingales (1989)
* Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000)
* Melrose Place (1992–99)
* 2000 Malibu Road (1992)
* Hearts Are Wild (1992)
* The Heights (1992)
* The Round Table (1992)
* Burke's Law (1994–95)
* Winnetka Road (1994)
* Models Inc. (1994–95)
* Robin's Hoods (1994–95)
* Heaven Help Us (1994)
* Madman of the People (1994–95)
* University Hospital (1995)
* Savannah (1996–97)
* Malibu Shores (1996)
* Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
* 7th Heaven (1996–2007)
* Sunset Beach (1997–99)
* Pacific Palisades (1997)
* Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998–99)
* Buddy Faro (1998)
* Charmed (1998–2006)
* Rescue 77 (1999)
* Safe Harbor (1999)
* Forbidden Island (1999)
* Titans (2000–01)
* All Souls (2001)
* Queens Supreme (2003)
* Kingpin (2003)
* 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003–04)
* Summerland (2004–05)
* Clubhouse (2004–05)
* Wanted (2005)

TV films|

* Cricket on the Hearth (1967)
* The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969)
* Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969)
* The Monk (1969)
* The Pigeon (1969)
* The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969)
* Carter's Army (1970)
* The Love War (1970)
* How Awful About Allan (1970)
* But I Don't Want to Get Married! (1970)
* The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970)
* Wild Women (1970)
* The House That Would Not Die (1970)
* The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again (1970)
* Crowhaven Farm (1970)
* Run, Simon, Run (1970)
* Love Hate Love (1971)
* Yuma (1971)
* River of Gold (1971)
* Congratulations, It's a Boy! (1971)
* Five Desperate Women (1971)
* The Last Child (1971)
* A Taste of Evil (1971)
* In Broad Daylight (1971)
* The Death of Me Yet (1971)
* The Reluctant Heroes (1971)
* If Tomorrow Comes (1971)
* The Trackers (1971)
* Two for the Money (1972)
* The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972)
* No Place to Run (1972)
* Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972)
* Rolling Man (1972)
* The Bounty Man (1972)
* Home for the Holidays (1972)
* Every Man Needs One (1972)
* A Cold Night's Death (1973)
* Snatched (1973)
* The Great American Beauty Contest (1973)
* The Letters (1973)
* The Bait (1973)
* Satan's School for Girls (1973)
* Hijack! (1973)
* Letters from Three Lovers (1973)
* The Affair (1973)
* Death Squad (1974)
* The Fireman's Ball (1974)
* Cry Panic (1974)
* The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974)
* Savages (1974)
* Death Sentence (1974)
* Hit Lady (1974)
* Death Cruise (1974)
* Only with Married Men (1974)
* The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (1975)
* Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
* The Legend of Valentino (1975)
* One of My Wives Is Missing (1975)
* 33 Hours in the Life of God (1976)
* The Sad and Lonely Sundays (1976)
* Death at Love House (1976)
* The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)
* The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)
* Little Ladies of the Night (1977)
* The Love Boat II (1977)
* The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977)
* The Users (1978)
* Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978)
* Wild and Wooly (1978)
* Cruise Into Terror (1978)
* The Power Within (1979)
* Beach Patrol (1979)
* Love's Savage Fury (1979)
* The Return of the Mod Squad (1979)
* Murder Can Hurt You! (1980)
* Waikiki (1980)
* Casino (1980)
* The Best Little Girl in the World (1981)
* Sizzle (1981)
* Don't Go to Sleep (1982)
* The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982)
* Massarati and the Brain (1982)
* Shooting Stars (1983)
* Making of a Male Model (1983)
* Venice Medical (1983)
* Dark Mirror (1984)
* Velvet (1984)
* International Airport (1985)
* Mr. and Mrs. Ryan (1986)
* Dark Mansions (1986)
* The Hope Division (1987)
* Cracked Up (1987)
* Harry's Hong Kong (1987)
* The Loner (1987)
* Day One (1989)
* Just Temporary (1989)
* Rich Men, Single Women (1990)
* The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage (1990)
* Jailbirds (1991)
* Back to the Streets of San Francisco (1992)
* Grass Roots (1992)
* And the Band Played On (1993)
* A Stranger in the Mirror (1993)
* Gulf City (1993)
* Jane's House (1994)
* Love on the Run (1994)
* Green Dolphin Beat (1994)
* Texas (1994)
* Crosstown Traffic (1995)
* Pier 66 (1996)
* After Jimmy (1996)
* Odd Jobs (1997)
* Satan's School for Girls (2000)
* Stop at Nothing (2001)
* The Law and Mr. Lee (2003)
* Hotel (2003)
* Silver Lake (2004)
* Hitched (2005)
* Bounty Hunters (2005)
* Split Decision (2006)

TV miniseries|

* The French Atlantic Affair (1979)
* Hollywood Wives (1985)
* Crossings (1986)
* Dynasty: The Reunion (1991)
* The Invaders (1995)
* A Season in Purgatory (1996)

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