S.W.A.T. (1975)
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Debuting February 24, 1975. ABC, 9/8pm Central
S.W.A.T. ran on ABC’s Monday night lineup in between The Rookies and Caribe. The one-hour crime drama was created by Robert Hamner and developed by Rick Husky. S.W.A.T. was a spin-off of The Rookies and followed a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in an unnamed Californian city presumed to be Los Angeles, as it was filmed there. The series aired at a time when such teams were relatively new, initially formed in Philadelphia in response to an increase in bank robberies.
The team consisted of Lt. Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Steve Forrest), Sgt. David “Deacon” Kay (Rod Perry), and officers Jim Street (Robert Urich), Dominic Luca (Mark Shera), and Travis Joseph “T.J.” McCabe (James Coleman). The jamming theme composed by Barry De Vorzon was a hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The show was popular with audiences, but its depictions of violence led to controversy and the cancellation of a third season. Despite this, S.W.A.T.‘s legacy continued with a 2003 film adaptation and a 2017 television series remake. The original series is on DVD.
37 episodes, 2 seasons. Buy S.W.A.T. on DVD
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