CBS has announced that freshman dramas SEAL Team and SWAT have been renewed for second seasons.
“These exciting new dramas have been sensational additions to our schedule, are striking all the right notes creatively, and really connect with our viewers,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment. “SEAL Team has strengthened our Wednesday line up – routinely winning its time period with over 10 million viewers and allowing us to build an even more powerful night, while SWAT has improved Thursday’s 10:00 PM hour by over 2.5 million viewers versus last season. Additionally, both are among the very top streamers on our digital platforms, including CBS.com and CBS All Access. We congratulate the talented casts and producers on an amazing year as we look forward to their return next season.”
The news comes as no surprise given the surprisingly stout performance of SWAT in a tough time slot for CBS and SEAL Team’s large total viewer numbers and status as CBS’s sole owned freshman drama. Given SEAL Team‘s older skew, though, and the fact that it’s not a great retainer of Survivor‘s 18-49 demo, it very likely could find itself on another night come this fall. With the renewal of SEAL Team and SWAT, CBS has now renewed its three strongest freshmen, the other being Young Sheldon; the likes of Instinct, 9JKL, and Living Biblically will have their fates decided closer to May.
From Benjamin Cavell (Justified), SEAL Team follows
Based on the 1975 series of the same name and executive produced by the likes of Shawn Ryan (The Shield), SWAT tells the story of Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore), a member of the Los Angeles Police Department who finds himself promoted to team leader as a way of easing community tensions following a racially-charged incident of police brutality.
SEAL Team airs Wednesdays at 9:00 on CBS, with SWAT occupying the Thursdays at 10:00 slot.
