The BEST Episodes of S.W.A.T. (2017)
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Oct 19, 2021
Network: CBS
Los Angeles S.W.A.T. Lieutenant Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson is assigned to lead a highly-skilled unit in the community where he grew up. Torn between loyalty to the streets where the cops are sometimes the enemy, and allegiance to his brothers in blue, he strategically straddles these two worlds. Hondo encourages his team to rely on communication and respect over force and aggression, but when a crisis erupts, these unflinching men and women are prepared to put their tactical training to the test.
#1 - School
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired Jan 3, 2019
The SWAT team faces difficult reminders of a past school shooting when they receive a warning that a copycat plans to re-enact the crime. As the team races to stop the new threat, they flash back to the day of the tense first mission.
8.05 
#2 - Good Cop
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired Jan 22, 2020
Hondo and the SWAT team rally to support Street when he puts his life on the line to help Nate break away from a drug ring.
7.97 
#3 - Kangaroo
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired May 16, 2019
The SWAT team goes in pursuit again of the militant group The Emancipators when the criminals hold a live stream kangaroo court to publicly execute city politicians. Also, Hondo fights to lift Darryl’s spirits; Deacon feels unworthy as he prepares to receive one of the LAPD’s highest honors; and Street catches a break in the search for his missing parolee mother, Karen Street.
7.96 
#4 - Invisible
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired Apr 18, 2019
The abduction of Luca and Street’s neighbor sends the SWAT team in pursuit of a home invasion crew targeting domestic workers to gain entry into upscale homes. Also, the SWAT division prepares to help Mumford mark a major career milestone.
7.94 
#5 - Bad Cop
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired Jan 15, 2020
Street is caught between his duty to SWAT and his commitment to his foster brother, Nate, when Nate is ensnared in a criminal enterprise that could ruin them both. The team goes after a ruthless crew that uses deadly force while stealing from card casinos. Buck approaches Deacon to partner on a private security opportunity.
7.92 
#6 - Stigma
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired Apr 8, 2020
Hondo and the team race to save Buck, their former unit leader, when he goes off grid and they fear he plans to harm himself. Flashbacks reveal the search for Buck, which coincides with one of the team’s most brutal missions, as each team member receives counseling and discusses the untold mental and emotional difficulties inherent to working in SWAT.
7.91 
#7 - Madrugada (2)
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired Oct 8, 2021
Still in Mexico, Hondo teams up with a local cop for a dangerous rescue mission, only to find himself with a target on his back. Also, back in Los Angeles, Hicks considers disbanding the team for good.
7.91 
#8 - Immunity
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired Oct 23, 2019
Deacon’s family gets caught in the crosshairs of a drug cartel when he and the SWAT team aim to bring down its leader, a former foreign rebel force leader running drugs in plain sight via a local flower market. Also, Hondo receives troubling news regarding his father, and Tan is forced to go before an internal review board due to his girlfriend’s indiscretion.
7.91 
#9 - Day of Dread
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired May 2, 2019
The SWAT team finds itself under internal investigation after a civilian is killed as they attempted to bring in the city’s most wanted criminal. As the mission details are revealed, the force’s internal affairs team calls Hondo’s leadership into question.
7.90 #10 - Vagabundo (1)
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired Oct 1, 2021
In the aftermath of his decision to speak out in the press, Hondo retreats to a quiet town in Mexico to reassess his life and professional future, only to find himself reluctantly drawn into one local family’s fight for justice.
7.89 
#11 - Hunted
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired May 10, 2018
Hondo and Deacon must apply all their SWAT training and skills to evade a gang of armed mercenaries hunting them in the Angeles Mountains following an ambush. Also, Chris oversteps in an attempt to help a female SWAT trainee she suspects isn’t being evaluated fairly.
7.88 
#12 - Diablo
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired May 20, 2020
The team searches for a group of drug smugglers who crash a plane and scatter after a joint mission with the DEA to stop the shipment goes awry. Hondo tries to make amends with Nichelle. Luca experiences anxiety about his return to the field.
7.87 
#13 - Wild Ones
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired Apr 29, 2020
The team pursues a couple reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde, when the duo goes on the run and on the hunt for a set of rare chest pieces worth millions. Hondo and Darryl are surprised when Darryl’s ex-girlfriend visits with his young son. Luca confronts his fear of failing his re-qualification to return to the field as he helps Kelly, his mentee.
7.85 
#14 - Hoax
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired May 17, 2018
A fake 911 call puts Hondo and the SWAT team on the hunt to stop a white supremacy group from executing bombing attacks on local communities. Also, Street’s relationship with his recently paroled mother, Karen, jeopardizes his career, and Jessica is thrown a curveball by her colleague, Michael Plank, president of the police commission.
7.85 
#15 - Seizure
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired Jan 11, 2018
As the SWAT team goes inside a prison riot to rescue civilian hostages, Hondo suspects the inmates have an ulterior motive behind the uprising. Also, when Deacon’s wife, Annie, stops by headquarters to celebrate Deacon’s 10th anniversary with the SWAT division, her visit takes an unexpected turn.
7.85 
#16 - Vice
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired Apr 22, 2020
The team searches for an escaped convict who plans to kill Tan and every member of law enforcement who helped put him in prison years ago. Chris comes face to face with internal corruption when she arrests a young man who is given a free pass due to his powerful father, and a surprise visit by Hondo’s sister, Winnie, puts pressure on his relationship with Nichelle.
7.85 
#17 - Funny Money
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired Oct 16, 2019
The SWAT team bumps heads with Lynch when she signs them up for an off-book undercover operation to take down a local gang printing counterfeit money, without giving them enough time to prepare for the mission. Tensions rise at home for Hondo as his parents’ strained relationship becomes worse.
7.84 
#18 - The LBC
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired Oct 30, 2019
Street reconnects with his estranged foster brother to help a joint investigation between SWAT and the Long Beach PD when criminals steal a mass arsenal of LAPD assault rifles. Hondo finds himself at odds with his father over the elder man’s declining health. Luca is overwhelmed when the entire team reconsiders becoming investors in his food truck.
7.83 
#19 - Cash Flow
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired Apr 4, 2019
Hondo has a tense reunion with a fellow Marine, Ruiz, when the SWAT team hunts an escaped convict who was broken out of prison by criminals using stolen military weapons. Also, Chris prepares for a difficult goodbye when her former K-9 partner becomes ill.
7.82 
#20 - Trigger Creep
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired May 9, 2019
The SWAT team races to locate the next place a lone gunman will strike while he is at large in Los Angeles. Also, Hondo takes some time away from the team to pursue an investigation that hits close to home, and Jessica is presented with an unexpected opportunity.
7.81 
#21 - Fire in the Sky
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired Oct 2, 2019
The SWAT team works with Lieutenant Piper Lynch, a senior LAPD Hollywood Division officer, when the mayor assigns her to oversee city departments joining forces to stop a serial bomber using drones as detonation devices. Just as Hondo settles into legal guardianship of his teen charge, his home life becomes more complicated when his estranged father unexpectedly moves in.
7.81 
#22 - Animus
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired Mar 4, 2020
The team searches for a link between the seemingly unconnected victims of a lone gunman targeting women. Luca assists with a homicide investigation in his neighborhood. Lynch pushes Chris to do a news interview. Hondo reaches a juncture in his relationship with Nichelle.
7.81 
#23 - Veritas Vincint
Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired May 26, 2021
The bombing of a Los Angeles police station puts the city on edge, leading the team to a final showdown with a group of domestic extremists. Also, Hondo faces the fallout from a bold decision that threatens his future, and Tan takes a big step in his personal life.
7.80 
#24 - Vendetta
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired May 3, 2018
Hondo’s life and career are endangered when his bosses and his godson’s kidnapper, Jae Kim, discover he’s been secretly surveilling Kim with the help of retired DEA agent Katrina Walsh. Also, Street and his newly paroled mother, Karen, both have trouble acclimating to her prison release.
7.80 
#25 - Bad Faith
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired Oct 9, 2019
Lynch pulls the SWAT team’s focus when the mayor tasks her with enacting a departmental review of the squad right as they pursue the unstable and dangerous fugitive leader of an infamous doomsday cult. Luca asks the team to invest in his new passion project—a Guatemalan food truck.
7.80