'SEAL Team' Earned Its Trident Over Seven Seasons

by Julian Spivey

Photo: Paramount+

When “SEAL Team” debuted on CBS in the fall of 2017, it was a show I hadn’t even planned on watching. I thought it would be your typical CBS procedural with some “rah-rah America hell yeah” energy thrown in. It just wasn’t the type of show I was looking for.

But, as one should with entertainment, you must watch something to truly know it. I gave “SEAL Team” a shot, primarily because I’d been impressed with cast member Max Thieriot’s performance in A&E’s “Bates Motel,” and now, after seven seasons and 114 episodes, I can honestly say it’s been one of my favorite shows of the last seven years.

“SEAL Team” was so much more than I expected. It wasn’t just a brainless, rah-rah military show. Sure, it was one of the most action-packed shows on television, with scenes capable of making your heart pound while watching, but where it shined was on the home front and through getting into the minds and heads of these American warriors.

Another aspect of “SEAL Team” that’s almost shocking on television today is it was able to air seven seasons and more than 100 episodes while never lacking in quality. I felt like this final season was just as interesting as any of the ones that came before it.

The seventh season focused primarily on how Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) was dealing with his head injuries, the fallout of his calling the military out for not caring about such injuries, and how his 20-plus-year career as a Navy Seal would play out. The most significant side plots were Ray (Neil Brown Jr.), who went on what amounts to a retirement tour with the Bravo Team, and the addition of a new character, Drew Franklin (Beau Knapp), who joined the team under mysterious circumstances.

The final season did a terrific job of integrating the Drew quickly with it being only 10 episodes, something it had done the season prior with the addition of Raffi Barsoumian as Omar Hamza, who replaced Thieriot’s Clay Spenser when Thieriot left the show to lead his own drama “Fire Country” on CBS.

“SEAL Team” wrapped up in a manner that I believe should excite fans of the series. I won’t get into the odds and ends of how everything wrapped up, in case folks haven’t gotten through the end of season seven yet, but all the threads are neatly tied, and there shouldn’t be anything that leaves fans of the show upset.

I have no doubt the show could’ve continued further. As I said, there’s no lack of quality over time with the show, but there’s nothing wrong with a show going out on top before it has the time to grow stale.

“SEAL Team” more than earned its trident over its seven seasons.