S.W.A.T. is moving into Blue Bloods’ time slot, promising a juicy plot to kick off the midseason return.
The new episode, which will air on January 31 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, is titled “Open Season.”
“When Hondo learns there’s a $1 million bounty on his head, 20-Squad must race to uncover the mysterious enemy from Hondo’s past who’s intent on revenge,” the synopsis of the episode reads. “Also, Deacon and Tan butt heads over Tan’s changes to SWAT academy. Cast member Jay Harrington directs.”
Shemar Moore stars as Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. in the series, which has been saved from cancellation twice before. The show is currently airing season 8. Season 9 has not yet been officially announced by CBS.
It might take some adjusting for Blue Bloods fans, who are so used to seeing the police procedural drama in the Friday, 10 p.m. time slot. Blue Bloods aired for 14 seasons on the network in the time slot, closing out its run with a dramatic series finale on December 13, 2024.
Tom Selleck admitted that he was “frustrated” over the show’s cancellation after dominating the time slot for more than a decade.
“I don’t believe in holding grudges, but if you were to say to the television network, ‘Here’s a show you can program in the worst time slot you got, and it is going to guarantee you winning Friday night for the next 15 years,’ it would be almost impossible to believe,” he told TV Insider in an October 2024 interview. “My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out. I remember after the weekend [of the final episode’s shoot], I said, ‘I’ve got to get to bed early tonight because I have to do my dialogue for Monday.’ Well, there was no Monday. It’s just going to take a while.”
Sadly, a Blue Bloods spinoff has not yet been announced, despite many ideas flying around as to potential story lines and character developments. It’s been a topic that several of the show’s stars have publicly talked about after fans were disappointed by the show’s cancellation despite favorable ratings.
“There’s been a lot of talk about spinoffs, about various spinoffs, all types of concepts of spinoffs. I, for me personally, would say whatever happens next, if it’s done with the spirit of Blue Bloods and done with the care that we tried to put into Blue Bloods every week, it would be something that I would look forward to watching or being a part of either way,” Donnie Wahlberg told TV Insider in October 2024 of the possibility of doing a spinoff. “I’ve heard stories of prequels, sequels, you name it. For me personally, I love the show. I’ve enjoyed working on it for 14 years, and like I said, whatever comes next, as long as it has family at its core and the spirit of Blue Bloods, then I’m all for it.”