SWAT episode 4 preview: Hondo reaches out to Buck

With SWAT episode 4 airing on CBS next week, it does beg an important question: Why is CBS doing this? Why in the world are we getting an episode on Thanksgiving?

As frustrating and potentially-damaging as it is to the show’s ratings to air on the holiday, there is a reason for it in this case: SWAT has been on the air for such a limited time to date that the network doesn’t want to do anything to damage it by having it off the air for a week. Also, the schedule works in such a way that if they give the show a back nine episodes, it started so late that they need to get more installments out there. Meanwhile, if they choose to keep the episode order at 13 they would to have time to launch another show in the spring. This decision is more to do with scheduling than it is with the current state of the SWAT ratings.

Below, you can get a little more news regarding what is coming on SWAT episode 4 in terms of the story — it’s a big one, given that Hondo will be checking in on his old boss Buck:

“Radical” – After a domestic bomber dies in a Highland Park explosion, the SWAT team races to find the man’s partner before more devices detonate. Also, Hondo reaches out to Buck (Louis Ferreira), his former team leader, when he worries he is isolating himself after his recent firing, on S.W.A.T., Thursday, Nov. 23 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

This should give you a pretty good idea of the sort of guy Hondo is: He cares about those who he works with with. They’re more than just associates to him; they’re a family.

As for the case of the week here, it’s a little harder to hype this up beyond saying that we hope that it achieves a few things that some other SWAT episodes have: Relentless action and plenty of excitement from start to finish. This is a show that is all about staging elaborate and intense sequences — hopefully, the ratings stay constant since this is a show that looks like it’s not altogether cheap to make.

What do you want to see regarding SWAT episode 4? Do you think CBS is making a bad move putting the show on Thanksgiving? Share now in the comments!

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