SWAT writers vow season 4 examination of police system, significant flaws

The past few days in this country have been trying, painful, and heartbreaking. It’s honestly hard to even find the proper words for how we are feeling. With everything that’s happened, it has led to protests, conflicts involving the police, and movements that are causing many to reevaluate their stance on a broken justice system that does not view all races the same way.

Because police TV shows are often a reflection of reality, it is imperative for them to look at the world that surrounds us. It is also critical for them to realize how their depiction of events and people can impact viewers and SWAT is at the forefront of this. It is a show about police who often fight on the front lines, with the main character played by Shemar Moore. It features at times stories related to race, but these issues now are so severe and so painful that it requires further examination … something that is deeper and stronger. That is something that the writers are planning to do moving into the fourth season (premiering next year, tentatively, on CBS).

In a post on Twitter (read below), the official writers room made it clear that they will work to “mine the truth about all of [the] issues” currently present in the upcoming season, as we all work as a society to create a “fairer, better system.”

Meanwhile, executive producer Aaron Rahsaan Thomas also responded with the following:

Several writers rooms all over the world have recognized the Black Lives Matter movement over the past several days, but all of this with SWAT is more than just an acknowledgement and a statement of support. It is a notice that they will be vowing to move towards a different presentation moving forward, one that can show Hondo’s heroism while also still showing the problems that exist within modern law-enforcement. These are issues that are complex, but with real care and honest examination, they can hopefully contribute to a discussion that reaches viewers and helps them see a broader perspective. That is one of the many powers of television — the ability to communicate from afar messages that so many need to hear.

Once there is more to report on the subject of SWAT, we will have it for you hear. For now, let us know what you think about the writers and Thomas’ comments below. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. be sure to follow her on Twitter.