The BEST episodes of S.W.A.T. (2017)
Every episode of S.W.A.T. (2017) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of S.W.A.T. (2017)!
Los Angeles S.W.A.T. Sergeant 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 1/3/2019
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.
#2 - Good Cop
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/22/2020
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.
#3 - Invisible
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/18/2019
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.
#4 - Kangaroo
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/2019
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.
#5 - Twenty Squad
Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/17/2024
SWAT faces their deadliest adversary yet when a violent cell of extremists looks to extract vengeance by blowing up half of Los Angeles, potentially killing thousands. Still reeling from the anger and outrage directed at him by his own community, Hondo questions if he still has what it takes to lead 20-Squad, adding to the fear that he won’t be able to pull the team together in time to save the city.
#6 - Farewell
Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/22/2022
When control of a university chemistry lab is seized, the SWAT team races to thwart a devastating terror attack.
#7 - Day of Dread
Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/2/2019
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.
#8 - Immunity
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/23/2019
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.
#9 - Bad Cop
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/15/2020
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.
#10 - Stigma
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/8/2020
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.
#11 - Survive
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/2/2022
When Deacon enlists Chris’ help on an off-duty private security detail, they struggle to survive when they’re attacked by a drug cartel looking to kidnap their wealthy VIP client.
#12 - The Fugitive
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/10/2022
When body cam footage left at a local news station seems to show Hondo shooting two police officers, he is forced to go on the run while the team works to clear his name.
#13 - Diablo
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/20/2020
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.
#14 - Trigger Creep
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/9/2019
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.
#15 - Hunted
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/10/2018
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.
#16 - Wild Ones
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/29/2020
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.
#17 - Seizure
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/2018
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.
#18 - Thai Another Day
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/14/2022
Hondo, Deacon and Tan team up with Thailand’s elite S.W.A.T. team to stop a ruthless drug lord whose heroin operation has far-reaching ties to Los Angeles.
#19 - Return to Base (2)
Season 8 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/16/2025
The SWAT team undertakes its final mission when a violent crew of ex-pat Russian mercenaries holds Los Angeles hostage after planting hundreds of hidden explosives across the city in a bid to extort the release of their brutal leader, Dmitri Rykov. When Rykov is brought to SWAT for safekeeping, SWAT HQ comes under attack, forcing Hondo and 20-Squad to fight for their very survival.
#20 - Legacy
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/19/2023
The team works with the DEA and their iron-jawed leader, Mack Boyle, to stop a ruthless cartel boss waging war on the streets of Los Angeles as he exacts revenge on those who killed his son.
#21 - Cash Flow
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/4/2019
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.
#22 - Vagabundo (1)
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/2021
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.
#23 - Hoax
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/17/2018
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.
#24 - Madrugada (2)
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/2021
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. Hicks considers disbanding the team for good.
#25 - Funny Money
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/16/2019
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.