CBS reboots ‘S.W.A.T.’
Proof that even the most violent and ridiculous shows are worth thinking about, CBS revives “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., TV-14). Viewers of a certain age may recall the 1975 original series, produced by Aaron Spelling and featuring a frantic “Shaft”-inspired guitar riff in its title song.
Like the original “S.W.A.T.,” this reboot arrives at a time when people have begun to question the use of military equipment and tactics to fight crime in urban areas.
The first series aired only a year after the 1974 siege of the Symbionese Liberation Army’s compound in Los Angeles, a violent chapter in the Patty Hearst kidnapping saga that unfolded like a military battle. It was captured by increasingly light video cameras coming into use at that time and broadcast live via satellite technology that was just in its infancy.
This startling news story and the subsequent series changed the depiction of police on television, and in many people’s minds, from the lone cop on the neighborhood beat to that of an occupying army.
In addition to featuring endless car chases, explosions and firefights, the new “S.W.A.T.” stars Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. He’s a locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant. Hondo’s torn between loyalty to his unit and the people from his old neighborhood.
Moore might be more believable as a commander, or as a sympathetic citizen, if he weren’t so darned handsome and ridiculously well-groomed. He looks like a spokesmodel for a line of skin-care products — or the Shemar Moore who appeared on “The Young and the Restless” for eight years.
CBS has a mixed record with reboots and remakes. “MacGyver” and “Hawaii Five-0” endure, but the network’s remakes of “Rush Hour,” “Training Day” and “Limitless” fizzled.
CINDERELLA ANNIVERSARY
Speaking of TV history, Fuse airs a 20th-anniversary broadcast of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (8 p.m.), a big production for ABC at the time, starring Brandy (“Moesha”) and Whitney Houston.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin. tvguy@gmail.com.