“For six seasons, the amazing talents of the S.W.A.T. Unlike studios behind other series, like Universal TV’s Magnum PI, which successfully moved the drama from CBS to NBCU sibling NBC post-cancellation, Sony TV doesn’t have a sister network.)Īdditionally, CBS just screened its two drama pilots Matlock and Elsbeth, both of which were received very well, giving the network more leeway on its bubble series, which also include freshman dramas East New York, whose renewal negotiations have been progressing, and True Lies, whose prospects appear dim. (From what I hear, finding a new home for S.W.A.T. The two sides were in negotiations til the end but the gap between them remained, leading to today’s cancellation.

expire, eventually went up on the license fee but the offer came with a cut of the order, which would’ve pushed up the per-episode budget even higher and further hurt the show’s economics. I hear CBS, who let its exclusive window on S.W.A.T. Sony was not willing to go for another renewal at a flat license fee as that would compromise the show’s financial model. As Deadline reported in March, those early renewals the last few years had come with the network keeping the license fee unchanged, which had put more and more pressure on the budget and further squeezed the show’s profit margins since costs of producing TV shows increase every year.

That is because CBS and lead studio Sony TV could not come to a financial agreement, I hear. It may be the most watched broadcast series to get the axe this season.Ī co-production between Sony Pictures TV and CBS Studios, S.W.A.T., one of just a handful of broadcast drama series with a Black lead, has gone from a string of early renewals up until last year to a cancellation. has done what was asked of it this season - it has been a rare TV series to rise in linear viewership year-to-year by double digits following its move to Fridays, where the drama has flourished. Its demise illustrates the harsh economic realities of the broadcast business as S.W.A.T.

Inspired by the 1975 TV series and the feature film, S.W.A.T., starring Shemar Moore, was the most established - and most expensive - CBS scripted series still on the bubble. RELATED: ‘S.W.A.T.’ Star Shemar Moore Shares Frustration About Drama’s Cancellation: “We’ve Done Nothing Wrong.

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