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It’s not truly goodbye, after all. Rochelle Aytes might be leaving S.W.A.T and heading to the medical drama Watson, opposite Morris Chestnut, but that doesn’t mean she won’t still have a place in S.W.A.T, or that she will be written off completely. So, when does Rochelle Aytes leave S.W.A.T in Season 8?

When Does Rochelle Aytes Leave SWAT in Season 8?

According to TVLine, when Season 8 of S.W.A.T opens, Shemar Moore’s character Hondo is still happily married to Rochelle Aytes’s character, Nichelle Carmichael. And the plan is for her to appear on the show within the first eight episodes. Of course, that’s not exactly a confirmation of when exactly she will return or what storyline she will have, but it is a confirmation that she will, which is more than we had when her exit was first announced. No off-screen breakup for this couple!

The actress first joined the show in a recurring capacity in Season 3, before being upped to regular in Season 6.

Aytes isn’t the only actor who departed the show after Season 7. Original cast members Kenny Johnson and Alex Russell were demoted from series regulars and their characters, Dominique Luca and Jim Street were written out ahead of the Season 7 finale to give their characters a proper ending. And even with the show coming back for Season 8 after being miraculously uncancelled, neither of them is set to return as series regulars. Things are a little different for Aytes, who is expected to return, even if not in the same capacity. There is no word yet on whether Johnson and Russell could return in some form before the show ends, though it would be nice to see both of them back at least once more before the show bids farewell for good.

Season 8 is expected to be S.W.A.T’s final season.

More: Everything to know about Season 8 of S.W.A.T., including the release date, cast and spoilers

Aytes’ next project, Watson, follows the titular character as he goes back to medicine after the death of his friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes. Yes, that Sherlock Holmes. The show is indeed a modern take on the classic literary characters. Aytes will play Dr. Mary Morstan, Watson’s ex-wife and one of the best surgeons on the East Coast, who just so happens to work at the same hospital. She’s said to be both a voice of reason and a reality check for he former husband, and someone who appreciates his unorthodox approach to medicine but can also become irritated by his constant sleuthing ways.

S.W.A.T. streams on Paramount+.