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The Best Episodes of S.W.A.T. Season 1

Every episode of S.W.A.T. Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of S.W.A.T. Season 1!

Binge this in 15h 46m•Peaking at 7.9/10

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
    S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.3/10(1561 votes)

    #1 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    A locally born SWAT sergeant, former Marine Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, is newly tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles.

    Director:Justin Lin
    Writers:Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Shawn Ryan

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  2. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 2 - Cuchillo
    7.2/10(1166 votes)

    #2 - Cuchillo

    S1:E2

    Hondo and the SWAT team spread out across Los Angeles in pursuit of four escaped convicts, including a violent criminal Jessica helped bring to justice, before department rival Mumford and his team beat them to the collars. Also, Hondo’s new role as team leader is called into question when Street displays a flagrant disregard for SWAT protocol.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Craig Gore

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  3. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 3 - Pamilya
    7.1/10(1009 votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 4 - Radical
    7.4/10(953 votes)

    #4 - Radical

    S1:E4

    After a domestic bomber dies in a Highland Park explosion, the SWAT team races to find the man's partner before more devices detonate. Also, Hondo reaches out to Buck, his former team leader, when he worries he is isolating himself after his recent firing. [also shown as S1:E3]

    Director:Greg Beeman
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  5. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 5 - Imposters
    7.4/10(951 votes)

    #5 - 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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  6. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 6 - Octane
    7.3/10(880 votes)

    #6 - Octane

    S1:E6

    Hondo puts aside his misgivings about Jim Street's recklessness and allows the newbie to go undercover as a broker in a luxury car theft ring to bust a ruthless trafficker. Also, Hondo visits Raymont Harris, the teenager recently shot by a former member of the SWAT team, who is dealing with PTSD. [also shown as S1:E5]

    Director:Eagle Egilsson
    Writer:Michael Jones-Morales

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  7. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 7 - Homecoming
    7.2/10(850 votes)

    #7 - Homecoming

    S1:E7

    When Hondo’s imprisoned childhood friend asks him to protect his son from gang violence, the favor brings SWAT into contact with a new local crime outfit. Also, when Luca’s grandfather, a SWAT legend, passes away, he struggles with his grief and a painful family secret.

    Director:John F. Showalter
    Writer:Alison Cross

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  8. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 8 - Miracle
    7.4/10(811 votes)

    #8 - 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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  9. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 9 - Blindspots
    7.4/10(814 votes)

    #9 - 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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  10. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 10 - Seizure
    7.9/10(899 votes)

    #10 - 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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  11. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 11 - K-Town
    7.4/10(753 votes)

    #11 - 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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  12. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 12 - Contamination
    7.3/10(715 votes)

    #12 - Contamination

    S1:E12

    Hondo and the SWAT team join forces with the FBI on a manhunt to find members of a militia group planning a domestic terror attack by weaponizing cyanide. Also, as Jessica’s new police initiatives with Michael Plank, president of the police commission, move forward, she braces herself for the negative impact the plans could have on her relationships within the department.

    Director:Elodie Keene
    Writer:Robert Wittstadt

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  13. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 13 - Fences
    7.1/10(646 votes)

    #13 - Fences

    S1:E13

    Hondo and Jessica’s secret relationship comes to a crossroads when Michael Plank, the president of the police commission, discovers their affair. Also, when Hondo and the team assist with the federal investigation to bring in an undocumented fugitive, they find themselves at the center of a citywide immigration debate.

    Director:Alex Graves
    Writer:Sam Humphrey

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  14. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 14 - Ghosts
    7.7/10(706 votes)

    #14 - 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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  15. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 15 - Crews
    7.6/10(653 votes)

    #15 - 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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  16. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 16 - Payback
    7.6/10(647 votes)

    #16 - Payback

    S1:E16

    When a young heiress, Juliette Carlton, is kidnapped for ransom, Hondo and the SWAT team go on a citywide search to bring her home before she is harmed. Also, the team worries that Mumford is moving too fast when he announces he’s getting married for the fourth time.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Alison Cross

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  17. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 17 - Armory
    7.7/10(653 votes)

    #17 - Armory

    S1:E17

    As Hondo and SWAT work to de-escalate a hostage situation in which an ex-convict is holding a local family captive, the mission takes a dangerous turn that impacts the team. Also, when Street tires of his complicated romantic entanglements, he agrees to let Chris make over his online dating profile.

    Director:Rob J. Greenlea
    Writer:Craig Gore

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  18. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 18 - Patrol
    7.5/10(626 votes)

    #18 - 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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  19. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 19 - Source
    7.4/10(592 votes)

    #19 - Source

    S1:E19

    Jim Street debates whether or not his mother, Karen, should live with him upon her prison release after Hondo and Chris warn him against it. Also, Hondo and the team are assigned to protect Irina Zemanova, a high-profile Russian journalist visiting Los Angeles, from being assassinated.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Michael Gemballa

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  20. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 20 - Vendetta
    7.6/10(585 votes)

    #20 - Vendetta

    S1:E20

    Hondo’s life and career are endangered when his bosses and his godson’s kidnapper, Jae Kim, discover he’s been secretly surveilling Kim with the help of retired DEA agent Katrina Walsh. Also, Street and his newly paroled mother, Karen, both have trouble acclimating to her prison release.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  21. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 21 - Hunted
    7.5/10(604 votes)

    #21 - Hunted

    S1:E21

    Hondo and Deacon must apply all their SWAT training and skills to evade a gang of armed mercenaries hunting them in the Angeles Mountains following an ambush. Also, Chris oversteps in an attempt to help a female SWAT trainee she suspects isn’t being evaluated fairly.

    Director:Nina Lopez-Corrado
    Writer:Matthew Thomas Brown

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  22. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 22 - Hoax
    7.7/10(624 votes)

    #22 - Hoax

    S1:E22

    A fake 911 call puts Hondo and the SWAT team on the hunt to stop a white supremacy group from executing bombing attacks on local communities. Also, Street’s relationship with his recently paroled mother, Karen, jeopardizes his career, and Jessica is thrown a curveball by her colleague, Michael Plank, president of the police commission. Hondo’s father, returns Daniel Harrelson, Sr. 1st.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Aaron Rahsaan Thomas

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "S.W.A.T." season 1. It scored 7.3/10 based on 1561 votes. Directed by Justin Lin and written by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Shawn Ryan, it aired on 11/2/2017. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Cuchillo".