SWAT season 3 renewal debate: Should it return to CBS? Vote!

What are the chances that we get a SWAT season 3 renewal at CBS? Is that something that we should feel fairly confident about? We’re back with another edition of our month-long Renewal Debate series and through it, we want to make it clear why there is hope for a little bit of optimism. Yet, at the same time know that nothing is 100% assured and CBS may make something akin to a formal decision a little bit later this month.

After we lay out the case both for and against renewal, we have a poll in this article for you to share your thoughts! Check that out at the bottom of the piece.

The case for the renewal – At the moment, SWAT is one of the more-solid 10:00 p.m. series that CBS has going. It’s performing better on average than Madam Secretary, Criminal Minds, or SEAL Team following its move a little bit earlier this spring. It’s not that far behind NCIS: New Orleans and it’s more or less tied with Bull.

Beyond just the numbers, SWAT has an ace-in-the-hole that few other shows have in Shemar Moore. He’s one of the network’s biggest stars and a bona fide action hero — the sort of person who any network executive would wanted leading their program. There’s a great deal of marketability that can be done around him internationally, the SWAT name itself has a great franchise brand, and all things considered, it’s the sort of show that the network really covets.

The case for concern – The show’s season 2 average of a 0.8 in the 18-49 demographic isn’t so massive that it makes SWAT a lock — though we do think that there are some caveats within here. Take, for example, how SWAT never really gets all that much in terms of great lead-ins, and how it is the most-watched show in the timeslot even if the already-renewed Law & Order: SVU does already have it beat in the demo.

The only major reason to be worried here is that CBS has some sort of secret plan to replace SWAT with a show that they’re more confident in … but it’s hard to see that, mostly because there are probably some other shows on the pecking order on CBS that they would get rid of long before they’d even consider sending SWAT down a less-than-favorable direction.

Our current verdict

SWAT will be renewed. While CBS doesn’t have full ownership of it like they do some other programs and this matters in 2019, we think that there are some other issues on their schedule that need correcting and we don’t really get a sense that SWAT is really a part of any problem for them. The most important stat we’ve noticed in doing research for this piece is that the season 2 ratings are actually down only 15% versus season 1. That’s pretty good retention for a second-year show and that proves that the viewers CBS has with this show are ones who are loyal, and ones who are probably planning to stay put a good while.

For some more news when it comes to SWAT right now…

All you have to do is visit the link here right now.

Do you want to see a SWAT season 3 renewal over at CBS? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: CBS.)