When I was a kid, I loved "S.W.A.T." and was sad when the show was canceled after only two seasons. Recently, I discovered season one of the show on Netflix and was thrilled to see the show once again. At first, I really liked the episodes but after seeing many of them I detected some silly clichés. Whenever one of the characters introduces a friend to his co-workers with the S.W.A.T. team, you could guarantee that the person would either go psycho (like Cameron Mitchell did) or they'll be kidnapped (like the basketball player and girlfriend of T.J.). This same pattern happened again and again. And, the show occasionally degenerated to such silly plots as people who are going to kidnap the beauty contestants or blow up a movie studio!! Huh?!?! What were they thinking?! I think the problem was that the S.W.A.T. team in real life is really a special occasion task force--there for some pretty insane situations. BUT, these insane situations are generally predictable and too dull for TV--such as bank robberies. So, to add spice, the show made the crimes ridiculous and outrageous--the things most S.W.A.T. teams would never dream of seeing. Aaron Spelling couldn't have the team taking out bank robbers or ending a common domestic dispute in 5 of every 6 episodes--realistic, yes, but not very exciting. So, they went the opposite direction--making the shows insanely impossible--week after week. What you are left with is NOT a show like "Dragnet" (which showed ALL the many facets of police work--the exciting and the mundane) but one that wasn't that far removed from "Charlie's Angels"--kind of mindless and entertaining. Overall, I'd say the show wasn't bad but clearly it wasn't all that good. And, what did I know--I was only 10 when the show debuted!
Review of S.W.A.T.
