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The Best Episodes of S.W.A.T. Season 8

Every episode of S.W.A.T. Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of S.W.A.T. Season 8!

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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 Fan Favorite
    S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 1 - Vanished
    8.0/10(301 votes)

    #1 - 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.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  2. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 2 - Gang Unit
    8.1/10(283 votes)

    #2 - 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.

    Director:Cherie Gierhart
    Writer:Matthew T. Brown

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  3. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 3 - Life
    8.3/10(294 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.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  4. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 4 - The Sepulveda Protocol
    7.8/10(242 votes)

    #4 - The Sepulveda Protocol

    S8:E4

    A blackout throws the city into chaos, forcing 20-Squad onto the streets for an emergency patrol day, which quickly escalates when Hondo and team uncover a terror threat.

    Director:Cherie Gierhart
    Writer:Ryan Keleher

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  5. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 5 - Human Interest
    7.6/10(240 votes)

    #5 - Human Interest

    S8:E5

    Tan is left reeling when his girlfriend is kidnapped, and 20-Squad must race to track down a violent cartel leader who may be behind the abduction.

    Director:Ben Hernandez Bray
    Writer:Amelia Sims

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  6. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 6 - Hot Button
    7.3/10(254 votes)

    #6 - Hot Button

    S8:E6

    When back-to-back shootings at women's clinics leave two healthcare providers dead, Hondo and the team investigate whether the shooting were politically motivated.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Daniela Labi

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  7. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 7 - Home
    7.4/10(239 votes)

    #7 - Home

    S8:E7

    When two students are brutally attacked, 20-Squad contends with a possible honor killing. Meanwhile, Hondo and Nichelle have their first parenting dispute while searching for a suitable daycare.

    Director:Jann Turner
    Writers:Tianna Majumdar-Langham, Chris Bessounian

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  8. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 8 - Left of Boom
    7.6/10(240 votes)

    #8 - Left of Boom

    S8:E8

    Hondo and the S.W.A.T. team race to stop a nuclear attack on Los Angeles when radioactive material is stolen from a local lab.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writer:Allen L. Sowelle

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  9. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 9 - Open Season
    8.1/10(250 votes)

    #9 - 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.

    Director:Jay Harrington
    Writer:Charles Haddaway

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  10. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 10 - The Heights
    7.4/10(221 votes)

    #10 - The Heights

    S8:E10

    20-Squad contends with a hostage crisis. Also, Hondo receives a family visit.

    Director:Michael D. Olmos
    Writer:Jamil Akim O'Quinn

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  11. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 11 - AMBER
    7.9/10(226 votes)

    #11 - 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.

    Director:Matthew McLoota
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  12. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 12 - Deep Cover
    7.7/10(219 votes)

    #12 - Deep Cover

    S8:E12

    While working undercover for 20-Squad, Alfaro encounters associates from a previous undercover case in Long Beach, embarking on a dangerous mission that stirs up unresolved issues from the past.

    Director:Ramaa Mosley
    Writer:John Amato

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  13. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 13 - High Ground
    7.4/10(231 votes)

    #13 - High Ground

    S8:E13

    While hiking, Powell and Gamble discover an illegal marijuana farm and end up confronting a dangerous cartel.

    Director:Garry A. Brown
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  14. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 14 - The Santa Clara
    7.5/10(220 votes)

    #14 - The Santa Clara

    S8:E14

    When violent robbers loot a museum vault, Hondo and 20-Squad must chase down the thieving killers before they flee the country; Tan reckons with the fallout from a SWAT Academy accident; Gamble nervously awaits the verdict of her lA investigation.

    Director:Gonzalo Amat
    Writers:Tianna Majumdar-Langham, Chris Bessounian

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  15. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 15 - Hostages
    8.3/10(230 votes)

    #15 - 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.

    Director:Maja Vrvilo
    Writer:Matthew T. Brown

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  16. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 16 - Hail Mary
    7.8/10(208 votes)

    #16 - Hail Mary

    S8:E16

    The abduction and brutal torture of two college football stars puts S.W.A.T. on the trail of a violent drug dealer looking to extract vengeance for a drug deal gone bad, while Deacon’s heroics bring unexpected attention on S.W.A.T.

    Director:Solvan Naim
    Writer:Ryan Keleher

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  17. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 17 - The Enemy Within
    7.9/10(210 votes)

    #17 - 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.

    Director:Ben Hernandez Bray
    Writer:Allen L. Sowelle

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  18. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 18 - Exploited
    7.8/10(215 votes)

    #18 - Exploited

    S8:E18

    When a violent shooting rocks a Los Angeles nightclub, Hondo and 20-Squad are thrust into the dark world of sex trafficking, going head-to-head with a notorious biker club as they race to find a missing girl.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writers:John Amato, Vika Stubblebine

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  19. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 19 - Run to Ground
    8.1/10(196 votes)

    #19 - 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.

    Director:Cherie Gierhart
    Writer:Amelia Sims

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  20. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 20 - Devil Dog
    7.8/10(198 votes)

    #20 - Devil Dog

    S8:E20

    When Hondo’s cousin goes AWOL from his Marine base during basic training, Hondo, Deacon and Daniel Sr. take a road trip to get the kid in line; Alfaro plots to work outside the law when he discovers that his mother’s abusive ex is back in her life.

    Director:Alex Russell
    Writer:Sarah Alderson

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  21. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 21 - Ride or Die (1)
    7.9/10(192 votes)

    #21 - Ride or Die (1)

    S8:E21

    When an auto carrier truck gets hijacked by a high-speed crew, Hondo encounters a ghost from his past - a violent car thief thought to be long-dead. The brutal road warriors tear across L.A. in pursuit of a mysterious $60 million car.

    Director:Maja Vrvilo
    Writer:Kent Rotherham

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  22. S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 22 - Return to Base (2)
    8.5/10(250 votes)

    #22 - 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.

    Director:Billy Gierhart
    Writers:Matthew T. Brown, Daniela Labi

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Season 8 Ratings Summary

"Vanished" is the best rated episode of "S.W.A.T." season 8. It scored 8/10 based on 301 votes. Directed by Billy Gierhart and written by Kent Rotherham, it aired on 10/18/2024. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Gang Unit".