Conscious Uncancelling: S.W.A.T. & 6 More Shows That Cheated TV Death

Fans had hardly got their heads around the fact that S.W.A.T had been cancelled when the news broke that it was coming back.

But Shemar Moore (who plays Hondo) released a video on Instagram saying, 'They said we're cancelled, but guess what I don't think we're done.' Viewers agreed and there soon followed a statement from CBS saying, 'We have listened to our viewers and their outpouring of passion for S.W.A.T and…reached an agreement to renew for a final season.'

But this is far from the only show to have come back from seemingly dead.

Here are six more:

Drop Dead Diva

Charting the 'life' of model Deb Dobkins after she took on the physical form of Jane Bingum following the pair's death, this legal comedy drama hit financial issues after season 4 and was cancelled. Lifetime and Sony Pictures, though, were able to strike a deal and it came back for a fifth (and sixth) season before finally ending in 2014.

Timeless

Timeless was cut after a single season in 2017. But fans weren't having any of it and made their opinions heard. Three days later it rose again when a second season was announced. Alas, this turned out to be the final full season for the show – but there was a two-part finale that rounded off the story before it completely finished.

Jericho

In one of the weirdest campaigns ever, fans of Jericho (a post-apocalyptic drama set in smalltown America) sent millions of peanuts to CBS to protest its cancellation. This wasn't completely random and was based on a line from the show. To be fair, it was cut due to poor ratings, but clearly, those who liked it really liked it. However, after 22 episodes in season 1, it was massively reduced to just 7 for season 2. And when it was cancelled for a second time, there was no coming back.

Roseanne

This hugely popular family comedy made a return in 2018 after a 21-year hiatus. And things were going well - right up until a controversial tweet from Roseanne Barr. What was left for the network to do? Simple. Ditch Roseanne, keep the rest of the family, and rebrand it as The Conners.

SurrealEstate

This paranormal drama was unceremoniously cancelled in October 2021, leading showrunner George Olsen looking for a new home for it. In the end, he never found one. Because it was uncancelled and went right back on SyFy.

Charles in Charge

If you thought uncancelling was all about social media campaigns and posting peanuts, think again. In 1984, Charles in Charge season 1 aired on CBS and had poor ratings. After being moved around a few time slots, it was eventually axed. Until first-run syndication became an option and it returned in 1987 with a much-changed cast. It then ran for a further three seasons before finishing in 1990.

Source: Instagram.