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How did the CBS series S.W.A.T. from a show canceled in the 1970s to being rebooted twice, once as a movie and then as a brand new police drama? It all started in 1975 with its debut on ABC as a spin-off of the popular show, The Rookies (yes, that’s right, the show was originally a spin-off). The Rookies depicts the dramatic exploits of three rookie police officers, and in the third season, a two-part episode serves as the pilot for S.W.A.T. The original starred Steve Forrest as the team leader, Lt. “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 T.J. McCabe, and showcases high-octane action set in an unnamed California city.
For its time, the series tackled serious subject matter and did not shy away from its depiction of violence, delving into episodes dealing with drug use, terrorism and organized crime. This was ultimately one of the reasons it was cancelled;  TV violence is on the rise at the moment. It also drew criticism from real-life S.W.A.T. group because the descriptions are less realistic. However, the first season proved popular in the ratings, even generating a line of merchandise, but criticism and time frame changes eventually killed the series, and it faded in pleasant memories of nostalgia and the hum of its iconic opening theme song (a catchy tune composed by Barry De Vorzon that became a number one hit single for Rhythm Heritage in 1976).

And there it remained until 2003 when S.W.A.T. got a new lease on life as a feature film (as well as some lackluster sequels that really didn’t live up to the original show or movie). The first film starred Samuel L. Jackson as Hondo, Colin Farrell as Jim Street, as well as Jeremy Renner as Brian Gamble, Street’s former partner. The film pays great respect to the original show, bringing back the characters of Deke, now played by LL Cool J, and T.J. McCabe, portrayed by Josh Charles; The character Luca does not appear in the film and is replaced by a new female character, Sanchez, played by Michele Rodriguez. However, this time the setting is Los Angeles, not some anonymous city.
The film is an exciting action-packed adventure, full of twists and turns, and pays homage to the original S.W.A.T. in the form of several cameos. Rod Perry plays the father of LL Cool J’s Deke, the character he once played, and Steve Forrest appears at the end of the film as a S.W.A.T. Mobile unit driver. The film’s success also quickly renewed interest in the original show, with a DVD release and new life on several streaming services. However, after initial success, S.W.A.T. once again fading into the background.