# S.W.A.T. (1975)

> A cancelled 1970s ABC series following a Los Angeles style Special Weapons And Tactics team through dangerous police assignments in an unnamed California city.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/10358

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 37
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: action, crime, drama
- Created by: Lee Stanley, Robert Hamner
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry, Mark Shera, James Coleman, Neva Patterson, Phillip Pine, William Lucking
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072560/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tense, earnest, brisk, gritty

## What critics say

Audiences gave the series a mixed but middling reception, with its tactical action and team dynamics valued more than its formula.

## Synopsis

S.W.A.T. (1975-1976) is an American action crime drama series created by Lee Stanley and Robert Hamner for ABC. Steve Forrest plays Lt. Dan Hondo Harrelson, the seasoned leader of a Special Weapons And Tactics unit, alongside Robert Urich as Officer Jim Street, Rod Perry as Sergeant David Deacon Kay, Mark Shera as Officer Dominic Luca and James Coleman as Officer T.J. McCabe. The engine of the show is the team's dangerous weekly assignments in an unidentified California city, from armed standoffs to high risk arrests, where each episode pits the unit against a clear threat and the officers must hold together under pressure. The series is a spin-off of The Rookies and was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, and it carries the gritty, earnest energy of mid 1970s network police drama. Its tone is tense and action driven, with an emphasis on camaraderie and procedure over long arcs. Across two seasons and 37 episodes, the show runs as a cancelled network series, offering a straightforward blend of crime and team loyalty. Fans of The Rookies, Hill Street Blues and later revivals will find resonance in its brisk, ensemble driven approach to police work.

## Shows like S.W.A.T.

- [The Streets of San Francisco (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/2342)
- [The Fall Guy (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/4777)
- [Hill Street Blues (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/3642)
- [Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/1192)
- [Starsky & Hutch (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/1444)
- [Emergency! (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/5095)
- [Hawaii Five-O (1969)](https://ember.film/tv/2184)
- [Hunter (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/4350)
- [S.W.A.T. (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62651)
- [Blue Thunder (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/10766)

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