The fourth season of S.W.A.T., an American police procedural drama television series, premiered on November 11, 2020, and concluded on May 26, 2021, on CBS with 18 episodes produced.
The season dealt with real-life serious issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tension in Los Angeles between law enforcement and the Black community following the aftermaths of the killing of Breonna Taylor, and the murder of George Floyd, and Asian American and Pacific Islander racism that erupted from the COVID-19 pandemic, which was addressed with Victor Tan's mom being a victim of a hate crime in "Stakeout".
As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to take hold in Los Angeles, the SWAT team continues the pursuit of remaining parts of El Diablo's drug cartel scattered throughout the city, which eventually leads them to hunting down a Jihadist group detonating bombs in coordinated attacks. Online chatrooms reveal that they worked with an American, who is targeting an event, which notably Darryl is attending. Hondo and the team manage to stop the American and his ambulance loaded with explosives before he can reach the event. Meanwhile, Hondo, his father, Daniel Sr. and Darryl confront the history of racial tension in Los Angeles between law enforcement and the Black community, through flashbacks to the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict. Hondo also reveals that he enlisted in the Marines in order to hurt his father, and the two reconcile about their past misdeeds. Two months later, all three of them march along with protesters in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and pay their respects to past victims of police brutality.
The SWAT team acts as a domestic surveillance unit for the CIA to confirm whether international crime lord Salman Radek has resurfaced in Los Angeles after being off the grid for years. While taking out Radek's alleged residence, Street becomes personally engaged to save a boy who shows signs of abuse, which ultimately leads to Hondo removing him from surveillance duties. Deacon sneaks onto the property to disable an extra layer of air conditioning that has hindered their heat signatures. They can eventually confirm that Radek is at the residence and move in to apprehend him, but arrest a lookalike before they find the real Radek. Meanwhile, Tan searches for a person responsible for a racial altercation with his mother, Chan Fei. The man is revealed to be psychically ill and he determines that the man's sister has effected his behaviour. Hondo encounters his ex-girlfriend Nichelle for the first time since their breakup and opens up about his realisation after she broke up with him.
SWAT works to find an FBI informant on the run from the Venuti crime family he is testifying against. They learn that his brother has been recruited by the family and had been tasked to kill the informant, but refused. The informant also refuses to testify unless his brother is safe. They get a chance to retrieve the brother at a winery, but he is forced away at gunpoint before they can get to him. The family targets a campaign launch for a senate candidate, where the Venutis rob valuables and take the host hostage, additionally attempting to drown the brother. SWAT manages to save the brother and stop the family from making their escape. Meanwhile, the dynamic between Chris, Street and Tan gets tense when it's revealed they're all competing for a liaison position at a leadership conference. Chris finds comfort and determination with the newly recruited SWAT member Erika, who she met while she was in the SWAT academy. Hondo is asked to speak at the parole hearing of Leroy, leading to Hondo having to think about the right decision for him and Darryl.
SWAT works to find the person threatening to attack the memorial of Rhodium, a singer who spoke out against police brutality. Her mother, Jillian, has reservations about Deacon being assigned to the memorial detail due to his side gig rejecting a request for security due to Rhodium's views. Ultimately Hicks convinces her to retain him. The team later deal with a threat in Mitch Anderson, whose father was killed by sheriff deputies after being arrested and who's angry at the fact the city has paid for Rhodim's funeral. A house he occupied for advantage to shoot at the memorial convoy leads to a neighbour calling the police, but Anderson escapes, leading to a final showdown in a public area for fans before the threat is eliminated. Jillian thanks the team members individually afterward, also putting aside her reservations about Deacon. Leroy is released from prison and Hondo struggles to keep Darryl from falling back into old habits without separating him from his father. He manages to reach an agreement with Leroy about care for Darryl, but Leroy makes it clear that he wants priority over his son. Street decides to ease down on the competitiveness for the liaison position in respect for Chris, but Tan doesn't relent despite his concerns. Street later decides to have a go at shooting, thereby ensuring that all three specialise in different areas.
The team works to find a bomber who is targeting victims who have no apparent connection with each other, the first being a store and the other a law firm. Tan becomes visibly affected when it's shown that the bomber, Charlie Pierce, is suffering from schizophrenia, an illness his father went through. The bomb squad are able to defuse the bomb at the law firm, and the team catch up to Pierce when he decides to go to his next target without the bomb package being delivered by a delivery man. He takes shelter in a restaurant, and Tan uses his personal experience to talk him down, leading to Pierce's arrest. Hondo is also asked by Lynch to be the face of a campaign to reach out to the black communities in an attempt for recruiting. Hondo rejects this idea, but comes up with a new idea after conversing with Erika; to create a forum for black LAPD officers to explain the difficulties of being a black police officer. Meanwhile, Chris, Street and Tan compete for the title of "Master Gunner" with fellow SWAT officers, with Street beating Chris by less than two-tenths of a second.
Chris brings the team into her personal mission to save a teenage girl from a predatory religious leader. The fight to retrieve enough evidence to go against the leader and his church is difficult, but a recording Chris makes sets the grounds for more firm action. However, in the midst of it, the girl's boyfriend is abducted and later killed. The team find a house where "sinners" are sent to be rehabilitated and free its captives. They return to church as the girl is forced into a marriage with the leader, who escapes with her as hostage. Hondo attempts negotiate with him, but allows Chris to take him out when the situation goes south. Hondo learns that the gang unit has re-opened a file on Darryl due to him frequenting his father who is on parole. With advice from Hicks, he attempts to convince Leroy to be more cautious, but he dismisses his concerns in favour of Darryl despite the risk. Darryl himself however decides to cede to Hondo's caution while still wanting to frequent his father. Tan's wedding planning goes awry when the hotel he and Bonnie booked can't reschedule and cancels their plans altogether. The couple later decide to put the wedding plans on hold.
A sniper targets members of Station 127 of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The team discovers that the suspect, Adam Max, lost his wife and infant child in a fire two years prior, and he sued the department, but lost the case. Max escalates his actions and targets unrelated fire crews, but none are fatal. The station chief attempts to talk to Max, but is taken hostage at his own station and Max sets it alight. The remaining firefighters assist SWAT in dousing the flames as they move in to rescue their chief, while Chris stops Max from escaping. The rivalry between Chris, Street and Tan ratchets up, but the latter resigns from the competition after a stunt at the fire station. Street and Molly's relationship is strained by his complicated history with his imprisoned mother, who Molly learns is sick and might require urgent surgery on her liver. Street apologises for his dismissive attitude against her about his mother and promises to detail his complicated relationship with his mother for her.
The team searches for a group of white supremacists carrying out coordinated attacks against minority owned local businesses. Coordination with the FBI confirms that they're up against the Imperial Dukes, who have many local cells operating around the country. As they begin to haul in members of the cell, they also locate their HQ in a tattoo parlour. The search narrows down to two remaining members, one of whom targets a Jewish community center, and another who barricades himself in at home. The first is arrested while the other is killed in the raid. However, Tan is wounded, and Erika, who stepped in temporarily with the team, dies from her wounds, devastating Chris with Hondo grimly informing Hicks of the development. Deacon and his wife find themselves at odds when she wants to enroll their daughter in private school, which he has difficulty accepting. However, he manages to get himself together in order to ensure what's best for their daughter and even offers to be the school's new security and SWAT liaison.
The aftermath of Erika's death has different affects on the team. Chris seeks comfort from Luca, while also refusing to move Erika's belongings from their shared apartment. The FID launch an investigation, while Hondo and Deacon re-examine the scene, noticing a training field likely built by a former marine. The team follow the lead and thwart the man's escape, but are unsuccessful in interrogating him. Tan becomes too tough on SWAT trainees, while Annie suggests Deacon should retire. Hondo questions his future in policing, but stands up to the mayor when Hicks offers to resign to take political responsibility for the raid. With the prospect of losing Hondo should Hicks resign, the mayor withdraws the demand. The FID investigation clears the team, but remarks that alternate approaches could have been utilised. Luca's encouragement later convinces Chris to finally clear out Erika's belongings. Hondo finds comfort in Nichelle and opens up to her about his daunting thoughts of his future.
The team scramble to save the life of Jess Winter, who was abducted by a sketchy coworker, Joe Falcone. However her husband Phil attempts to figure out her location himself, but ends up arrested on prior suspicions. Clues from Jess' place of work and colleagues point them on the direction of Falcone, who has priors for stalking in Miami. SWAT medic Nora Fowler joins Hondo's team, but finds herself put on the sideline more often than she would have preferred. Eventually she takes the initiative to assist despite Hondo's reservations. The team locate Falcone's residence out in the desert and save Jess from an underground hideout, while Deacon and the air unit stops Falcone. Molly notices that Street is being very distant and seeks advice from her father. Later, Street breaks up with her after acknowledging his feelings for Chris, but doesn't disclose this to Molly. Chris however distances herself and attempts dating again, but doesn't find the comfort in doing so. She also wins the selection to be SWAT's leadership liaison in Europe.
Mumford makes a return to help the team investigate a case that holds a personal meaning to him. The case involves continued fentanyl supply by the Echo Park Six led by Trey Mitchell, whose drugs notably killed his goddaughter Tonya. Hicks is weary of Mumford when he fears he becomes to eager to catch Mitchell without enough evidence. Mumford returns to Tonya's mother and learns that she and Mitchell used to be romantically involved right before she started using drugs, and owned several properties not registered to his name, but the gang's. The team raid both a company front and a house owned by Mitchell, where he attempts to escape at the latter one before being stopped and arrested. Chris seeks help from Tan in order to get over Erika's death, which he later proposes as boxing, but Chris secretly returns to drinking. Hondo is skeptical of Darryl and Leroy's joint business proposal which Nichelle is considering funding for. However, he eventually does this himself by also being a co-owner of the business. While Darryl is relieved, Leroy still has his reservations.
A high-stakes domestic disturbance involving a father and his two young daughters is revealed to be linked to a hit on a group of Guatemalan human rights activists who have run into hiding. With Luca back from Germany, but limited to paper work, the team sets out to save the activists before the remaining hitmen can get to them. The murder of a reporter who wanted to help the activists reveals clues to human rights violations in Guatemala and an active duty to suppress the group's activism. Luca however also learns that the reporter's editor had warned Guatemalan authorities and thereby ordered the hit, but hadn't intended it to result in any casualties. The team stop both him and the last activist before he can enact revenge. Hondo learns from Darryl and Winnie that his father has been distant lately, which he comes to learn is because he fears what his new test results for possible cancer could be. Hondo assured him he is still loved and they will face any hardships together and convinces him to make the call. Street comes clean about his breakup with Molly to Hicks, and later reaches out to check in his hospitalised mother after helping the daughters from the domestic disturbance.
The team works together with the FBI to hunt down a deadly band of mercenaries hired by wealthy CEO Jon Afton trying to leave the country before he's arrested for running a massive Ponzi scheme. Afton however makes an unexpected change by picking up his son Jonah, albeit the mercenaries do so by force when an officer attempts to intervene. At a remote safe house, the mercenary leader, Brady, retrieves personal papers from Afton's bag and escapes with Jonah. The team retrieves Afton and the remaining mercenaries. Afton reveals that he established a Swiss bank account in Jonah's name and has been continuously sending backup funds to it. The team rush to the harbour where a final showdown ensues which leads in Jonah being freed and Brady disarmed and apprehended. Hondo is forced to confront his changing relationship with Darryl. Street helps a hungover Chris who later seeks grief counselling at a community centre. Deacon is disappointed when he is rejected from attending his son Matthew's demonstration event.
The team are forced to confront the Imperial Dukes again when the wife of a new recruit is hospitalised after a domestic disturbance. With information from her and a team-up with the FBI, they embark on a mission to stop the group from planning a larger attack on the city. After raiding a warehouse, Fowler identifies a poisonous and airborne poison that the group has taken to use for the attack. After being fooled by a diversion, the team identify a college as the target, which has undergone a name change for their science building. Though with the poison unleashed, the team scramble to disable it and disarm the cell members before they can escape. Hondo and Leroy disagree on how to handle a challenge to Darryl's fledgling business, and when Hondo's solution hits a road block, he fears Leroy's solution might only be short term for Darryl and his business. Deacon suspects that new member Lee Durham, is a white supremacist, but is unsure on how to prove it. He gets his suspicions confirmed when he attends a celebration party for the mission he took part in.
The team tries to track down a media-savvy crew of bank robbers who consider themselves a band of modern-day Robin Hoods. Luca looks to his brother Terry for help identifying the stringer who filmed the robbers. He later takes the time to catch up with Terry, opening up about not being able to choose his job after initially joining the police. The team learns that the robbers helped fund a deprived community "The Jungle", in order to prevent evictions and help people pay their bills. However, another robbery leads to a shootout, which causes two of them to desert the cause. The remaining one kills them and later the property owner before the team tackles him. Chris and Tan decide to approach "The Jungle" with the promise of improved policing. Deacon is conflicted in approaching Durham and two other cops' racism, while Hondo urges him to report it. Initially Deacon holds off, but after receiving encouragement from Annie and accepting Hondo's suggestion of recordings, he reports Durham and the two others. Durham vows retaliation, but Deacon shames him for being a cop in the first place.
Members of the Los Mags escape from custody at a courthouse, taking everyone inside as hostages, with both Hondo and Deacon inside. With them trapped, Luca becomes team leader for the mission, but he's a bit unsure if he can rise to the challenge. However, Fowler offers him some advice in how to take on the challenge. As a part of their strategy, Deacon and Hondo rescue a group of civilians from their courtroom, before Deacon hides and Hondo allows himself to be taken hostage. Luca and the remaining team members infiltrate the courthouse through a newly built staircase and gradually take down the Los Mags members and freeing Hondo. Street visits his mother at the hospital and learns she is dying and could require a partial liver transplant if she could continue living. The decision makes him unsure of what to do, but Chris warns against it, arguing that it would reduce his mobility and at worst risk his career. She goes to visit his mother to make her case, but she rebuffs her.
The team races to rescue victims of a sex trafficking ring that is preying on disenfranchised women, working with Lynch, who now heads a task force. The case becomes personal for Tan, whose high school crush disappeared and suffered through prostitution before managing to escape. Several girls they rescue detail a web of individuals involved in the ring before they capture two prominent members behind it. The last member manages to escape with another girl, but the tanker he stole catches fire and the team forces him and the girl out before it explodes. Hondo finds himself at odds with Leroy and Darryl over the future of their business, with them deciding to return Hondo's money for the business. He later learns how much personal effort Leroy put into helping Darryl, renewing his respect for him. Street confronts Chris about meeting with his hospitalized mom and learns that he is a donor match, and decides to help his mother, despite Chris' continued opposition. Deacon faces the ramifications of the Durham report, who is reassigned. Hondo decides to go to the media with the racism, to which Hicks warns that it could cost him his job.
Hondo's revelations to the press pushes the limits in tensions between the Black community and the LAPD, which leads many to fear all out war conditions. This only exacerbates when the 27th Precient is bombed, in which activist Kevin Hilliard is framed for. The team learns that the Imperial Dukes had aimed to frame him and subsequently start a race war and conflict between Black people and the police. The team works to secure a protest, which the Imperial Dukes infiltrate, disguised as cops. With most of the members arrested, Street gives chase of the last one before Hondo stops him. Darryl encourages Leroy to help the community, to which Leroy helps hold the Hammers at bay from escalating the confrontation with police. Tan and Bonnie plan on marrying in a small ceremony at the courthouse. Street and Chris confess their feelings for each other and share a kiss. Hicks informs Hondo that he will be demoted from his position, which the latter realises repeats history from when he first took over as team leader.
Production
On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season.[19]
Broadcast and release
The fourth season of S.W.A.T. was set to be a mid-season premiere.[20] However, on July 14 it was announced that it would switch places with Survivor, and premiered on November 11, 2020.[21][22]
Reception
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of S.W.A.T. (2017 TV series) season 4
