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The Best Episodes of S.W.A.T.

Every episode of S.W.A.T. ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of S.W.A.T.!

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A Los Angeles S.W.A.T. sergeant 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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 11 - School
    8.3/10(8 votes)

    #1 - School

    S2:E11

    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.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Robert Wittstadt

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  2. S.W.A.T. Season 7 Episode 1 - The Promise
    8.1/10(17 votes)

    #2 - The Promise

    S7:E1

    The team heads to Mexico to escort a fugitive back to the States when things go awry and Hondo has to save an old witness tied to the case.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 12 - Good Cop
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Good Cop

    S3:E12

    Hondo and the SWAT team rally to support Street when he puts his life on the line to help his foster brother Nate break away from a drug ring.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Matthew Thomas Brown

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  4. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 10 - Seizure
    7.9/10(11 votes)

    #4 - Seizure

    S1:E10

    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.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Aaron Rahsaan Thomas

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  5. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 14 - The B-Team
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    #5 - The B-Team

    S2:E14

    Hondo reunites with an old flame, FBI Special Agent Elle Trask, when the SWAT team works with the FBI to bring in a separatist group with weapons-grade plutonium. Also, the SWAT team worries they will lose an annual law enforcement charity competition to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

    Director:Maja Vrvilo
    Writer:VJ Boyd

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  6. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 9 - Blindspots
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #6 - Blindspots

    S1:E9

    When a misconduct complaint filed against Hondo gets him taken off active duty, Deacon steps up to lead the team in finding a robbery crew that is hitting marijuana dispensaries. Also, when Tan notices a similarity between the current robberies and a case from his time with Hollywood LAPD, he asks for help from an informant with whom he has a complicated history.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Michael Gemballa

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of S.W.A.T.

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  7. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 9 - Day Off
    7.8/10(9 votes)

    #7 - Day Off

    S2:E9

    When the SWAT team is called in to work on their day off to end a hostage situation, they discover one of the captives is a wanted felon. When Hondo saves his sister after she's been roofied at a nightclub, he uses his day off to hunt a serial rapist.

    Director:Lexi Alexander
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  8. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 12 - Los Huesos
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #8 - Los Huesos

    S2:E12

    Jessica and Chris go undercover in Mexico, alone and without back-up, to save a Mexican federal agent kidnapped by a drug-dealing gang that Jessica helped bring to justice years before. Also, Hondo’s mother, Charice, worries he’s under emotional strain when he engages in a series of small home renovation projects in her home.

    Director:Alex Kalymnios
    Writer:Michael Jones-Morales

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  9. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 17 - Jack
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Jack

    S2:E17

    The SWAT team tries to zero in on the next target of a carjacking ring that’s using deadly force to boost luxury vehicles all over Los Angeles. Also, Hondo takes a big step to help his childhood friend’s incarcerated son, Darryl, and SWAT team leader Mumford weighs a major decision.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  10. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 18 - Cash Flow
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #10 - Cash Flow

    S2:E18

    Hondo has a tense reunion with a fellow Marine, Ruiz, when the team hunts an escaped convict who was broken out of prison by criminals using stolen military weapons; Chris prepares for a difficult goodbye when her former K-9 partner becomes ill.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writers:Andrew Dettmann, Amelia Sims

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  11. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 19 - Invisible
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #11 - Invisible

    S2:E19

    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.

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:A.C. Allen

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  12. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 5 - Imposters
    7.7/10(15 votes)

    #12 - Imposters

    S1:E5

    When a series of home invasions are committed by SWAT imposters in an upscale neighborhood, Hondo and the team suspect the burglarized families are all hiding something. Also, when Deacon and Luca are assigned to protect a visiting professional hockey player who is receiving death threats, his penchant for trouble becomes a complication. [also shown as S1:E6]

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:VJ Boyd

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  13. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 15 - Crews
    7.7/10(10 votes)

    #13 - Crews

    S1:E15

    The job becomes personal for Hondo when his criminal informant friend is killed while seeking information about a robbery crew that a joint SWAT and FBI task force is trying to capture. Also, when the FBI task force leader acts erratically, Jessica worries the woman’s behavior will endanger the team in the field.

    Director:Hanelle M. Culpepper
    Writer:VJ Boyd

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  14. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 18 - Patrol
    7.7/10(12 votes)

    #14 - Patrol

    S1:E18

    Hondo confronts his long-held resentment towards his ailing father, Daniel Harrelson, Sr., when he and his sister, Briana, try to convince their dad he’s no longer well enough to live alone. Also, when the SWAT team works as patrol officers for a day, Chris is partnered with Mumford, who intends to make her a surprising offer.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:A.C. Allen

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  15. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 7 - Inheritance
    7.7/10(9 votes)

    #15 - Inheritance

    S2:E7

    The SWAT team hunts for a band of criminals re-enacting the crimes of the infamous Symbionese Liberation Army. Seeking expertise on the original crime spree in the 1970s, Luca and his father review the files of Luca’s late grandfather who worked for SWAT during the era of the original crimes. Hondo experiences discrimination from a fellow officer during a SWAT training seminar for local law enforcement in Arizona.

    Director:Romeo Tirone
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  16. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 8 - The Tiffany Experience
    7.7/10(7 votes)

    #16 - The Tiffany Experience

    S2:E8

    The SWAT team races to find a stalker pursuing a social media star, after the online celebrity's dangerous admirer turns a fan event into a shootout that endangers Jessica.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:VJ Boyd

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  17. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 22 - Trigger Creep
    7.7/10(7 votes)

    #17 - Trigger Creep

    S2:E22

    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.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writers:Sarah Alderson, Munis Rashid

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  18. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 8 - Lion's Den
    7.7/10(7 votes)

    #18 - Lion's Den

    S3:E8

    The SWAT team engages in tense negotiations with a family that takes a local officer hostage when they’re evicted from their home due to eminent domain. Also, Hondo reflects on his personal life choices as he helps his father through a medical crisis and Chris’ relationship with Kira and Ty reaches a critical juncture.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Munis Rashid

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  19. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 18 - Stigma
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #19 - Stigma

    S3:E18

    Hondo and the SWAT 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.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Ryan Keleher

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  20. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 3 - Pamilya
    7.6/10(18 votes)

    #20 - Pamilya

    S1:E3

    Newcomer Jim Street jeopardizes his spot on Hondo's team when he agrees to do a favor for his incarcerated mother that endangers his SWAT career. Also, the SWAT team searches for the ruthless mastermind behind a drug trafficking ring that forces immigrants to be mules. [also shown as S1:E4]

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Sam Humphrey

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  21. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 11 - K-Town
    7.6/10(10 votes)

    #21 - K-Town

    S1:E11

    Hondo teams up with an old DEA friend, Special Agent Katrina “K.C.” Walsh, on a task force aimed at unmasking the secret leader of a fentanyl drug smuggling ring. Also, Jessica and Michael Plank, president of the Police Commission, begin implementing her new law enforcement community initiatives.

    Director:Omar Madha
    Writer:Craig Gore

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  22. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 14 - Ghosts
    7.6/10(10 votes)

    #22 - Ghosts

    S1:E14

    Hondo and the team go on the hunt for a serial killer who escaped justice two years prior by faking his death. Also, Hondo worries that Buck Spivey, the team’s former leader, is spiraling into depression in the aftermath of being fired from the department.

    Director:John F. Showalter
    Writer:Michael Jones-Morales

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  23. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 5 - S.O.S.
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    #23 - S.O.S.

    S2:E5

    Hondo and Lina go undercover to infiltrate and take back a cruise ship that’s under siege by drug smugglers who will execute passengers if they detect police on board. Street enters the SWAT Training Academy and finds the competition fiercer than he expected.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Andrew Dettmann

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  24. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 20 - Rocket Fuel
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    #24 - Rocket Fuel

    S2:E20

    The SWAT team discovers a new version of PCP with ties to an escaped drug dealer who created a version that ravaged the city decades earlier. Tan’s personal ties to the case emerge when he brings in his mentor, Ben Mosley, the former lead detective on the original drug case, to help. Also, Chris weighs a major decision regarding her romantic relationship with Kira and Ty, and Hondo’s patience is tested by his new familial responsibilities.

    Director:Laura Belsey
    Writers:Craig Gore, Ryan Keleher

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  25. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 8 - Miracle
    7.5/10(11 votes)

    #25 - Miracle

    S1:E8

    Hondo and the SWAT team are forced to work over their Christmas vacation when a drug cartel is out for blood after their cache of gold bars is stolen. Also, Jessica draws the attention of Michael Plank, president of the Police Commission, when she approaches him with her ideas on how to improve the SWAT division.

    Director:Holly Dale
    Writer:A.C. Allen

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Best Episodes Summary

"School" is the best rated episode of "S.W.A.T.". It scored 8.3/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by Billy Gierhart and written by Robert Wittstadt, it aired on 1/3/2019. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Promise".