S.W.A.T. (1975 TV series)

S.W.A.T.
GenrePolice procedural
Action
Crime drama
Created byRobert Hamner
Developed byRick Husky
StarringSteve Forrest
Robert Urich
Rod Perry
Mark Shera
James Coleman
Theme music composerBarry De Vorzon
Opening theme"Theme from S.W.A.T."
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAaron Spelling
Leonard Goldberg
ProducerRobert Hamner
CinematographyTim Southcott
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time49–50 minutes
Production companySpelling-Goldberg Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseFebruary 24, 1975 (1975-02-24) –
April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03)
Related
S.W.A.T. (2017)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

S.W.A.T. is an American police procedural action crime drama television series created by Robert Hamner, developed by Rick Husky, and produced by Hamner, Aaron Spelling, and Leonard Goldberg under Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The series aired for two seasons on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. A spin-off of The Rookies, developed from a two-part pilot aired on February 17, 1975, S.W.A.T. follows a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in an unnamed Californian city. The series stars Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry, Mark Shera, and James Coleman as the titular team's officers.

S.W.A.T. was filmed in and around Los Angeles. Richard Kelbaugh, a former LAPD Metropolitan Division SWAT officer, served as a technical advisor. The series' opening theme was composed by Barry De Vorzon; an official rearrangement by Rhythm Heritage reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States on the chart date of February 28, 1976.

S.W.A.T. was popular with audiences, but controversies surrounding its depictions of violence ultimately led to the cancellation of a third season. However, its legacy spawned a 2003 film adaptation directed by Clark Johnson for Columbia Pictures, and a 2017 television series remake developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan for CBS, both of the same name.[1]

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