The 2025 TV schedule has been a wild time for the world of S.W.A.T., as the show’s third cancellation by CBS has actually stuck without a last-minute rescue. Shortly after the series finale aired on the network, however, news broke that leading man Shemar Moore would actually be reprising his role as Hondo for a new spinoff called S.W.A.T. Exiles with a new cast. For Rochelle Aytes, who recurred on the drama between Seasons 3-8, she still has a home on CBS thanks to Watson, and she spoke with CinemaBlend about sticking around after S.W.A.T.
Less than two months after Rochelle Aytes’ final appearance in S.W.A.T. as Nichelle Carmichael opposite former Criminal Minds co-star Shemar Moore, she debuted as Dr. Mary Morstan opposite Morris Chestnut on CBS’ new doctor-detective drama Watson. The first-season show earned an early Season 2 renewal, which Aytes described as “just a blessing.” I went on to ask the actress how it feels for her to have Watson as a new CBS home with S.W.A.T.‘s end then looming, and she shared:
It’s bittersweet, because I really did enjoy my five years on S.W.A.T., but it’s just such a blessing. I’m so grateful to CBS for keeping me in the family, keeping me working, and it’s yet another wonderful character that I get to live in and play. The cast of S.W.A.T. [and] the crew was amazing. Now I’m blessed to have an amazing cast and crew on Watson, so I couldn’t ask for anything else.
The early renewal for Watson didn’t come as a huge shock, after it got off to a very strong start with its post-NFL premiere in January. Plus, per CBS, viewership numbers ranked the series premiere as CBS’ most-watched scripted episode of the 2024-2025 TV season as well as the most-streamed CBS Original scripted episode. Viewers weren’t necessarily missing out if they weren’t watching live on CBS; fans were clearly checking out the drama with a Paramount+ subscription as well.
But after working with Shemar Moore on Criminal Minds and then more regularly on S.W.A.T., what has it been like for Rochelle Aytes to have The Resident‘s Morris Chestnut as a co-star? I asked Aytes that very question, and she only had good things to say about Chestnut as Dr. John Watson. She said:
Working with Morris has been such a treat. First of all, he is such a delightful human being. He’s ready to work. He’s professional. He’s so sweet, and we just talk about the characters. We rehearse. He’s always willing to go over lines as much as possible, and he’s right there. He’s so there for me and I’m there for him. I think because of that, we’re able to connect and trust each other, and I think that that’ll continue to grow… It’s more like we’re a team, and it’s been fun to work with him.
Luckily, the big death of the Season 1 finale wasn’t Mary or John, so we’ll get to see more of the exes when Season 2 premieres. The only unfortunate news is that the second season will get a midseason premiere just like the first did, which means no more Watson until early 2026 as part of CBS’ 2025-2026 TV lineup reveal.
For now, fans can always revisit the 13-episode first season of Watson streaming on Paramount+, as well as the eighth and final season of S.W.A.T. For the first seven seasons, you’ll have to use a Netflix subscription.
As Shemar Moore himself noted when he was still pushing for the show to be rescued, the action-drama was a hit with streaming on Netflix. As for S.W.A.T. Exiles, no network or platform has been announced for the spinoff at the time of writing, so the wait is on for updates.
