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

A short lived 1970s TV series featuring the adventures of a unnamed city's police department Special Weapons And Tactics unit, starring Steve Forrest and Robert Urich.

The series was notorious for its violence, which led to its early cancellation in its second season. However, its theme music is a classic that became a #1 hit single and the title sequence, where the cops jog in lockstep to grab their rifles and get to their transport van was the epitome of 1970s American TV cool.

Spawned multiple films and a reboot series in the early 21st century, a list of which can be found here.


 * Artistic License: In reality, SWAT troopers do not simply wait at headquarters for a muster signal; they operate as detectives doing that position's expected duties until called up to suit up for SWAT duty. Of course, the Rule of Cool dictated the title sequence be otherwise.
 * Also, the missions in the series, which appeared to happen once a week in the series, was derided by real cops as being once in a lifetime things.
 * Cop Show
 * Moral Guardians: The show was one of the targets as unlike The A-Team later SWAT would storm in and shoot to kill. Steve Forrest addresses this understanding where the guardians were coming from, he just felt they were wrong about his particular show.
 * Spin-Off: From The Rookies