CBS's S.W.A.T. may have gotten the green light for a sixth season on the network, but it didn't come without a casualty. Lina Esco, who played the team's sniper Christine “Chris” Alonso, has turned in her badge and departed the show ahead of its new season. Esco had been one of the main cast members of the series since its inception in 2017 alongside remaining cast Shemar Moore, Alex Russell, Kenny Johnson, Jay Harrington, and David Lim.
Chris, an openly bisexual woman, had long been part of the heart and soul of the series and had forged close bonds with her teammates, including her longtime friend James Street (Russell) and David "Deacon" Kay (Harrington) who made her the godmother of his children. She was given a heartfelt sendoff by the show on Sunday night's finale, concluding a short storyline that saw her looking to step in for Mama Pina and run the local safe house for immigrant women. The finale had her finally enter a relationship with her Street and serve her final day on the job, going out on a high note with one final round of drinks with her team. Esco herself had played a larger role outside of acting too, getting a chance to direct an episode of the procedural earlier this year.
Following Sunday night's finale, Esco penned a heartfelt farewell on social media calling the decision "one of the most difficult decisions I've ever hard to make." She also paid tribute to her character and all the years she spent on S.W.A.T.:
Bringing to life a strong, smart, bisexual character like Chris Alonso has been both a pleasure and a powerful opportunity to increase visibility for diverse women everywhere. Five years later, I am leaving S.W.A.T. to pursue new creative endeavors. Chris never backs down from the unknown and as an actor and director, I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone and embark on a new chapter, too.
S.W.A.T.'s showrunners Shawn Ryan and Andy Dettmann also released a statement commemorating her service on the show, both on and behind the camera:
For five seasons and 106 episodes, we’ve had the pleasure to watch Lina Esco bring Chris Alonso to life on S.W.A.T. 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. Lina rewarded us this season with thrilling performances as well as a terrific job directing an episode. What Lina brought to the show, and what Chris represented to our audience, are hard to replace. We’ll miss Chris, but we’ll especially miss Lina, as we wish her the best of luck with everything she chooses to do next.
Esco will now begin the search for work outside the S.W.A.T. universe. Thanks to her time on the CBS drama, she's proven herself both as an actress and as a director. Her career began in earnest with another crime drama in CSI: NY before going on to land recurring roles in Kingdom and Flaked along with a few film roles including 2019's Full-Dress.
S.W.A.T. returns for Season 6 on CBS this fall. Read Esco's full farewell statement below: