The SWAT saga has been difficult. We have had the emotional highs of seeing the show get brought back from the dead twice, and experienced the emotional lows of seeing it get canceled three times. The math obviously doesn't come out in the show's favor.
We always knew that the show was treading on thin ice as it approached the finale of its eighth season, but we didn't expect CBS to pull the plug this early. The rest of season eight is going to be tough on the cast, crew and fans for obvious reasons, but the silver lining is that we get to appreciate the episodes that we have left.
SWAT's finale will contain multiple surprises
Annie Ilonzeh, one of SWAT's stars, has us extremely excited for the season (nee series) finale. She told TV Line that the episode is going to be satisfying in some ways, but frustrating given the events that have transpired offscreen. Basically, we're going to want to much more after seeing where all the characters end up.
"You go, 'Oh my gosh, that just happened,'" she said, when asked about the events of the episode. "And, 'Wait, I need more.'" Ilonzeh also told the outlet that predictable answers and resolutions to character arcs are nowhere to be found. The SWAT finale is going to set characters up to live far beyond the events of the show. "We definitely don’t button anything up," she said. "We leave you guessing and very curious for more."
Ilonzeh is not alone is sharing this sentiment. SWAT showrunner Andrew Dettman confirmed that the series finale will not "end" the 20-Squad unit, but simply hint at what's to come. It doesn't seem likely that we will get to see the results, but we can at least project what we think happens after the credits roll.
Ilonzeh previously starred on Chicago Fire
"Having learned our lesson over the last couple of years, we designed the season finale keeping in mind that it could be the series finale," Dettman told the outlet. "And wanting to go out on a high note either way, we’re not buttoning anything up in a manner that would put an end to 20-Squad."
Annie Ilonzeh is, of course, best known to Chicago Fire fans as Emily Foster. She played the medic who replaced Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund) during seasons 7-8. In ways both good and bad, the actress will get to stick with her current show to the end of the line.