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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.!

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

A locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant is torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers when he's tasked to run...

Seasons8

  1. Background image for School
    8.9/10(988 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.

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  2. Background image for Return to Base (2)
    8.7/10(148 votes)

    #2 - Return to Base (2)

    S8:E22

    The SWAT team undertakes its final mission when a violent crew of ex-pat Russian mercenaries holds LA hostage after planting hundreds of explosives across the city.

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  3. Background image for Life
    8.5/10(239 votes)

    #3 - Life

    S8:E3

    20-Squad faces down a prison hostage situation, only to be thrown into deeper danger when a bomb explodes, freeing maximum-security prisoners from their cells, including someone with a personal grudge against Hondo.

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    Director:Oz Scott
  4. Background image for Hostages
    8.4/10(162 votes)

    #4 - Hostages

    S8:E15

    S.W.A.T.'s anti-terror sting operation at a bus station is thrown into chaos when felons, fleeing the police, burst in and take the bus station hostage; Bennett redoubles her efforts to force Hicks out as S.W.A.T.'s commander.

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  5. Background image for Stigma
    8.3/10(537 votes)

    #5 - 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.

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  6. Background image for Last Call
    8.3/10(286 votes)

    #6 - Last Call

    S7:E7

    After the shocking shooting of a member of 20-Squad, Hondo and the team launch a citywide manhunt for the robbery crew responsible. Meanwhile, Deacon's plans for his future hit a snag, and Powell and Alfaro clash over a tricky issue.

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  8. Background image for Twenty Squad
    8.3/10(260 votes)

    #7 - Twenty Squad

    S7:E13

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Open Season
    8.3/10(195 votes)

    #8 - Open Season

    S8:E9

    When Hondo learns there’s a $1 million bounty on his head, 20-Squad must race to uncover the mysterious enemy from Hondo’s past who’s intent on revenge. Also, Deacon and Tan butt heads over Tan’s changes to S.W.A.T. academy.

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  10. Background image for Run to Ground
    8.3/10(132 votes)

    #9 - Run to Ground

    S8:E19

    After an explosive accident at a fruit-packing facility staffed by prison workers, six inmates escape and scatter across the city. Tasked with chasing down the fugitives, Hondo and 20-Squad discover that the worksite explosion was no accident, and that the escapees are working together to carry out a high-stakes robbery. Also, Commander Hicks packs up his office, preparing to vacate the SWAT commander's post, and Gamble gets sobering news about her jailed father.

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  11. Background image for Invisible
    8.1/10(484 votes)

    #10 - 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.

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    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:A.C. Allen
  12. Background image for Immunity
    8.1/10(474 votes)

    #11 - Immunity

    S3:E4

    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.

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  13. Background image for Good Cop
    8.1/10(447 votes)

    #12 - 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.

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  14. Background image for Farewell
    8.1/10(386 votes)

    #13 - Farewell

    S5:E22

    When control of a university chemistry lab is seized, the team races to thwart a devastating terror attack.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Legacy
    8.1/10(314 votes)

    #14 - Legacy

    S6:E22

    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.

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  16. Background image for Family Man
    8.1/10(259 votes)

    #15 - Family Man

    S7:E8

    The SWAT team faces off with a family of doomsday preppers barricaded inside their fortress of a home, and Deacon finds himself at the center of the storm. Also, Tan clashes with a reporter covering the situation and Powell grapples with meeting the child she gave up for adoption 18 years ago.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for SNAFU
    8.1/10(261 votes)

    #16 - SNAFU

    S7:E10

    As 20-Squad scrambles to track down a cold-blooded sniper terrorizing Los Angeles, Hondo discovers a link to his own South L.A. neighborhood that brings a personal twist to the hunt for the deadly shooter. Meanwhile, Tan finds himself questioning his leadership abilities while Powell and Alfaro compete in a classic game of SWAT tag.

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    Director:Unknown
  18. Background image for Vanished
    8.1/10(247 votes)

    #17 - Vanished

    S8:E1

    SWAT tackles a mission with personal ties for Hondo when they race to find a group of missing students and their bus driver, Hondo's former high school football coach. Also, Hicks has reservations regarding Hondo's new 20-Squad team addition, Devin Gamble, a cop with a family background deeply entrenched in crime.

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  19. Background image for Gang Unit
    8.1/10(229 votes)

    #18 - Gang Unit

    S8:E2

    When a spree of brutal stash house robberies spills into L.A., 20-Squad must team up with the sheriff's department's gang unit to unmask a violent crew who leaves no witness alive.

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  20. Background image for AMBER
    8.1/10(173 votes)

    #19 - AMBER

    S8:E11

    The squad races to find a missing child who was abducted from her front yard; Hicks is faced with a difficult decision concerning Gamble.

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  21. Background image for The Enemy Within
    8.1/10(146 votes)

    #20 - The Enemy Within

    S8:E17

    When three of L.A.'s finest are targeted and gunned down in the street, the team enlist the help of an LAPD psychologist to stop a murderous rampage, reopening old wounds tied to the department's failed response to a school shooting.

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  22. Background image for S.O.S.
    8.0/10(588 votes)

    #21 - 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.

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  23. Background image for 1000 Joules
    8.0/10(518 votes)

    #22 - 1000 Joules

    S2:E10

    The SWAT team sets out to recover dozens of DNA evidence kits stolen from an LAPD crime lab and bring in the crew responsible, after a close friend of Hicks is harmed during the theft. Financial strain at home makes it difficult for Deacon to focus on his role as leader of the SWAT division’s annual holiday toy drive.

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  24. Background image for Day of Dread
    8.0/10(498 votes)

    #23 - Day of Dread

    S2:E21

    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.

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    Director:Alrick Riley
  25. Background image for Diablo
    8.0/10(422 votes)

    #24 - Diablo

    S3:E21

    The SWAT team searches for a group of drug smugglers who crash a plane in a Los Angeles suburb and scatter, after a joint mission with the DEA to stop the shipment goes awry. Also, Hondo tries to make amends with Nichelle, Luca experiences anxiety about his return to the field, and Deacon hesitates when asked to speak to a group of recruits about mental health.

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  26. Background image for Lockdown
    8.0/10(417 votes)

    #25 - Lockdown

    S4:E16

    When four escaped prisoners take control of a courthouse with Hondo and Deacon inside but unarmed, the two race to save the lives of innocent civilians while trying to avoid detection themselves. Street visits his mother in the hospital and faces a pivotal decision.

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Best Episodes Summary

"School" is the best rated episode of "S.W.A.T.". It scored 8.9/10 based on 988 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, "Return to Base (2)".