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It has been confirmed that Lina Esco, better known as Officer Christine “Chris” Alonso in S.W.A.T., will no longer be reprising her role as the squad's sniper. The actress took her leave from the series after season 5 concluded.
This means that fans will no longer be able to see their favorite police officer in the next season of the series, which is set to air on October 7, 2022, at 8/7c on CBS.
Read on to learn all about Lina Esco's departure from S.W.A.T.
Why did Lina Esco leave SWAT?
When S.W.A.T. season 5 ended in May 2022, Lina Esco announced that she would no longer reprise her role as Officer Alonso on the CBS police procedural drama. Esco made the announcement with a post on Instagram and stated that it was one of the hardest decisions she had made in her life.
She added that playing Alonso's character was "both a pleasure and a powerful opportunity to increase visibility for diverse women everywhere." Lina also said that she will be looking at new creative endeavors and is excited to step out of her comfort zone and start a new chapter.
Lina Esco went on to thank her cast mates and crew who were involved in giving life to Officer Alonso's character. She said that she was grateful to her S.W.A.T. family, including cast members, writers and producers, for the journey that the series gave her. Lina also thanked her fans for their support throughout her journey.
Officer Chris was one of the most-loved characters in the series. She was the fierce sniper in the squad and an asset to the CBS television show.
How was Lina's departure written into S.W.A.T. storyline?
Showrunners Shawn Ryan and Andy Dettmann also issued their statements acknowledging Lina's talent as she brought Alonso's character to life. In their statement, they said that the team has had the pleasure of watching Lina Esco bring Officer Chris to life.
It continued:
"When Lina came to us a year ago to express her desire to eventually pursue other endeavors, we all worked hard to give Chris a proper, season-long sendoff, knowing what an important, iconic character she’s been to our audience."
Ryan and Dettmann are grateful to Esco for what she has brought to the show and for her portrayal of Chris throughout the five seasons.
Esco's departure from the show came with Alonso announcing to the squad that she would retire from S.W.A.T. and devote her time looking after the safe house for Mama Pina.
Catch the new season of SWAT coming up this October 7, 2022.
