Kenny Johnson's S.W.A.T. Season 7 Finale Reveal Makes The Show's Renewal Even Better
There's nothing that irks a fanbase more than a TV series that ends without a definitive conclusion. It's been happening for decades, with one of the worst examples being how "Mork & Mindy" ended with both main characters forever unstuck in time and space. Well, it looks like "S.W.A.T." fans will be spared a similarly ignominious fate — but barely, according to former series star Kenny Johnson.
Johnson, who played Dominique Luca on the show until his touching Season 7 departure, revealed to TVLine that it's a good thing the show's going to go one more season, as the current finale leaves a lot of things up in the air. While Johnson won't be in the final episode of the season, he has read the script. Praising the episode's quality, he notes that it leaves 20-Squad in a place where there's plenty more story to be told. "There's not a definitive ending where everyone takes off somewhere. They kind of leave it where there is definitely a possibility — if somebody wants to go on with it, or however they do it — that that could happen."
That news is likely both exciting for fans of the show who crave even more of the squad's adventures in the coming season and frustrating for fans who hoped for a more definitive moment for the gang. But at least they leave room to possibly adjust the Season 7 exits of two of the series' major stars.
There's still no word as to whether or not Luca and Jim Street will be back in Season 8
While it appears that 20-Squad will at least be in a good place to roll forth with fresh adventures when things pick up during Season 8, there is one big question that remains unanswered at the moment — whether Dominique Luca and Jim Street (Alex Russell), both of whom were written out of the series during Season 7, will make a big comeback in the final batch of episodes.
Luca is last seen turning down a desk job in favor of retirement after a shooting causes nerve damage to his shoulder that leaves him physically incapable of passing the physical exam he needs to ace to be a part of 20-Squad again. Jim Steet, meanwhile, comes into his own as the leader of S.W.A.T. Long Beach and leaves 20-Squad to head up that team. He also announces his new engagement to a fellow former 20-Squad member, Chris Alonso (Lina Esco), with whom he's maintained an offscreen relationship since she left the show in Season 5.
Both arcs show major growth for each character, and it's currently unknown if the show will undo either character's happy ending. Fans will have to watch Season 8 of "S.W.A.T." in the fall to find out.