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

Every episode of S.W.A.T. ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst 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 Worst Episode
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    S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 9 - Sea Legs
    5.5/10(8 votes)

    #1 - Sea Legs

    S3:E9

    The SWAT team joins forces with the Los Angeles Organized Crime division to recover an officer abducted during a failed undercover operation. Also, Chris struggles with how to comfort the kidnapped officer’s parents when she is restricted from giving them certain details of the investigation.

    Director:Greg Beeman
    Writer:Craig Gore

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  2. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 7 - Homecoming
    6.5/10(14 votes)

    #2 - 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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  3. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 1 - 3 Seventeen Year Olds (1)
    6.5/10(955 votes)

    #3 - 3 Seventeen Year Olds (1)

    S4:E1

    Hondo, his father Daniel Sr. and his teen charge Darryl confront the history of racial tension in Los Angeles between law enforcement and the Black community, through flashbacks to the city in 1992 following the Rodney King verdict. Also, the SWAT team pursues El Diablo’s scattered drug cartel hiding in the city and a Jihadist group detonating bombs in coordinated attacks,

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Aaron Rahsaan Thomas

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  4. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 17 - Armory
    6.6/10(13 votes)

    #4 - 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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  5. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 5 - Fracture
    6.7/10(523 votes)

    #5 - Fracture

    S4:E5

    Hondo is conflicted when the mayor asks him to be the public face of a new outreach campaign meant to improve the LAPD's stature within the Black community. Also, the team's search for a lone bomber reminds Tan of a difficult chapter in his childhood, and Chris pushes herself even further to surpass Street and Tan in a SWAT leadership competition.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writer:Munis Rashid

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  6. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 13 - Fences
    6.8/10(10 votes)

    #6 - 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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  7. S.W.A.T. Season 2 Episode 16 - Pride
    6.8/10(669 votes)

    #7 - Pride

    S2:E16

    The SWAT team struggles to maintain peace on the eve of a Los Angeles LGBTQ pride festival after a hate crime sparks citywide anger that ignites further violence. As Chris grows anxious for her fellow LGBTQ community members calling for retribution, the festival reunites Commander Hicks with JP, his estranged gay son. Also, Street worries his mother will be sent back to prison after she fails to check in with her probation officer, and Deacon gets unexpected medical news regarding his newborn daughter.

    Director:Nina Lopez-Corrado
    Writer:Matthew Thomas Brown

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  8. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 6 - Kingdom
    6.8/10(6 votes)

    #8 - Kingdom

    S3:E6

    The Harrelsons engage in a tense family reunion when Hondo’s older sister, Winnie, begrudgingly arrives in Los Angeles to see their sick father for the first time in decades. Also, the SWAT team searches for an abducted Middle Eastern human rights activist; Luca’s food truck business hits a snag; and Street worries that dating Captain Hick’s daughter, Molly, will negatively impact his career.

    Director:David Rodriguez
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  9. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 14 - Animus
    6.8/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Animus

    S3:E14

    The SWAT team searches for a link between the seemingly unconnected victims of a lone gunman targeting women. Also, Luca assists with a homicide investigation in his neighborhood; Lieutenant Lynch pushes Chris to do a news interview; and Hondo reaches a juncture in his relationship with Nichelle.

    Director:Hanelle M. Culpepper
    Writers:Michael Jones-Morales, Sarah Alderson

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  10. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 4 - Memento Mori
    6.8/10(530 votes)

    #10 - Memento Mori

    S4:E4

    The SWAT team searches for a rogue member of an extremist group planning to attack the memorial service of a famous musician who was outspoken about police brutality. Also, tension mounts between Hondo and Leroy, Darryl's father, when Leroy is released from prison early.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:VJ Boyd

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  11. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 2 - Bad Faith
    6.9/10(7 votes)

    #11 - Bad Faith

    S3:E2

    Lt. Lynch pulls the SWAT team’s focus when the mayor tasks her with enacting a departmental review of the squad right as they pursue the unstable and dangerous fugitive leader of an infamous doomsday cult. Meanwhile, Luca asks the team to invest in his new passion project, a Guatemalan food truck.

    Director:Marc Roskin
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  12. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 6 - Octane
    7.0/10(11 votes)

    #12 - 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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  13. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 19 - Source
    7.0/10(11 votes)

    #13 - 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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  14. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 10 - Monster
    7.0/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Monster

    S3:E10

    The SWAT team’s task to provide security for a warlord is threatened by assassins determined to take him out before he’s extradited by the International Criminal Court. Also, Hondo’s father, Daniel Sr., tries to make amends to his mother, Charice, Street’s foster brother, Nate, asks for his help with a corrupt boss and Deacon reluctantly explores therapy for his daughter, Lila.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:A.C. Allen

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  15. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 2 - Cuchillo
    7.1/10(15 votes)

    #15 - 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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  16. S.W.A.T. Season 1 Episode 4 - Radical
    7.1/10(15 votes)

    #16 - 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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  17. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 3 - The Black Hand Man
    7.1/10(490 votes)

    #17 - The Black Hand Man

    S4:E3

    Hondo is conflicted when Leroy, his incarcerated childhood friend and Darryl's father, asks him to speak on his behalf at a parole hearing. Also, SWAT helps the FBI track down a mob informant on the run from the crime family he is meant to testify against, and the team dynamic becomes complicated when Street and Tan sign up for a leadership competition Chris has been training months for.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writers:Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Matthew Thomas Brown

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  18. S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 11 - Atonement
    7.1/10(456 votes)

    #18 - Atonement

    S6:E11

    The team participates in a joint task force with the FBI when a car bombing has ties to a terrorist group planning an attack in Los Angeles; a tragedy from Deacon’s past gives insight into the origins of his faith.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 12 - Addicted
    7.1/10(393 votes)

    #19 - Addicted

    S6:E12

    The SWAT team races to stop a gunman targeting rehab centers and those he considers responsible for his brother’s death. Also, Deacon is caught off guard when his wife, Annie, makes a parenting decision that has unexpected consequences for their daughter.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 15 - Knockout
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #20 - Knockout

    S3:E15

    Deacon’s second job working private security at a high-profile boxing match places the SWAT team in the middle of a kidnapping case when a prize fighter’s wife is abducted. Also, Hondo’s young charge, Darryl, becomes frustrated with his lack of paternal rights regarding his infant son, and Tan prepares to introduce his critical mother to his girlfriend, Bonnie.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writers:Kent Rotherham, A.C. Allen

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  21. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 19 - Vice
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Vice

    S3:E19

    The SWAT team searches for an escaped convict who plans to kill Tan and every member of law enforcement who helped put him in prison years ago. Also, Chris comes face to face with internal corruption when she arrests a young man who is given a free pass due to his powerful father, and a surprise visit by Hondo’s sister, Winnie, puts pressure on his relationship with Nichelle.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writers:Michael Gemballa, Matthew Thomas Brown

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  22. S.W.A.T. Season 3 Episode 20 - Wild Ones
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #22 - Wild Ones

    S3:E20

    The SWAT team pursues a couple reminiscent of Bonnie and Clyde, when the duo goes on the run and on the hunt for a set of rare chest pieces worth millions. Also, Hondo and Darryl are surprised when Darryl’s ex-girlfriend visits with his young son, and Luca confronts his fear of failing his requalification to return to the field as he helps Kelly, his mentee.

    Director:Cherie Dvorak
    Writer:Andrew Dettmann

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  23. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 8 - Crusade
    7.2/10(534 votes)

    #23 - Crusade

    S4:E8

    SWAT searches for a group of extremists carrying out coordinated attacks against local businesses. Also, Deacon and his wife, Annie, find themselves at odds when Annie wants to enroll their daughter, Lila, in private school.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  24. S.W.A.T. Season 4 Episode 15 - Local Heroes
    7.2/10(456 votes)

    #24 - Local Heroes

    S4:E15

    The team tries to track down a media-savvy crew of bank robbers who consider themselves a band of modern-day Robin Hoods, funneling stolen cash back into their struggling neighborhood, before the mission turns deadly. Also, Hondo and Deacon clash over how to deal with a group of cops' racist views.

    Director:Jann Turner
    Writer:Matthew Thomas Brown

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  25. S.W.A.T. Season 5 Episode 11 - Old School Cool
    7.2/10(407 votes)

    #25 - Old School Cool

    S5:E11

    Hondo and the team race to locate the hacker responsible for accessing LAPD's computers and revealing the identities of undercover officers; Street is forced to reckon with past misdeeds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Sea Legs" is the worst rated episode of "S.W.A.T.". It scored 5.5/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by Greg Beeman and written by Craig Gore, it aired on 11/27/2019. This episode scored 1.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Homecoming".