Toast (2011)

In 1975, ABC aired a new type of crime drama that showcased the LAPD’s Special Weapons And Tactics division - otherwise known as S.W.A.T. This team functioned as the go-to squad to handle highly violent and dangerous situations. The leader of this team was Dan ‘Hondo’ Harrelson played by Steve Forrest, a Caucasian actor. It only lasted two seasons.

There is usually at least one Black actor on the principal cast of any given cop show. The 1975 version of S.W.A.T. featured Rod Perry as David ‘Deacon’ Kay. In 2003 they revived the franchise with a theatrical release. Having come off the success of Shaft, in this iteration, Hondo is played by Samuel L. Jackson.

To expand on Jackson’s version of Hondo, Shamar Moore was cast in the 2017 series as the leader of 20-Squad and ‘Deacon’ is played by non-melanated actor Jay Harrington. With producers Justin Lin (Fast And Furious) and Shawn Ryan, this series leans into the 21st century by making the team even more diverse and adds David Lim and Lina Esco. So now we have a “United Colors Of Bennetton” cast that reflects one of the most diverse cities in the US. All joking aside, the principal casting is a breath of fresh air. The guest stars were diverse as well, although the rest of S.W.A.T, not so much.

The stories are sentimentalized, melodramatic fare with impassioned acting - and sometimes overacting. There is sometimes this duality in the storytelling I picked up on throughout its run. While there was clearly some acknowledgement of diversity, there was still some racism and sexism baked in. I think the writers were trying to show how a person can grow to be more compassionate towards people who don’t look or believe like them. Great. However, there was confusion with some characterizations.