SEAL Team (TV series)

SEAL Team is an American military action drama television series created by Benjamin Cavell. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios, and began airing on CBS on September 27, 2017.

The series follows an elite unit of United States Navy SEALs portrayed by David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Jessica Paré, Neil Brown Jr., A. J. Buckley, and Toni Trucks. On May 9, 2019, CBS renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on October 2, 2019. In May 2020, the series was renewed for a fourth season which premiered on December 2, 2020.

Overview

The series follows Bravo Team, a sub-unit of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the most elite unit of Navy SEALs, as they plan and undertake dangerous missions worldwide with little notice, and the burden on them and their families.

Episodes

Cast and characters

• David Boreanaz as Master Chief Special Warfare Operator^A Jason Hayes a.k.a. Bravo 1/1B, leader of a Navy SEAL team (Bravo Team) dealing with the recent loss of one of their own.
• Max Thieriot as Special Warfare Operator Second Class Clay Spenser a.k.a. Bravo 6/6B, a second-generation Navy SEAL in training for Tier One status who is questioned as to his readiness for combat. He becomes a member of Bravo Team at the end of “The Exchange”, and twice briefly served as the team’s second-in-command.
• Jessica Paré as Amanda “Mandy” Ellis (seasons 1–4), Bravo Team’s CIA liaison. Due to her actions of giving up the location of a CIA asset in “My Life for Yours”, Mandy is demoted from her rank of officer and is now serving as an interrogator for the CIA.
• Neil Brown Jr. as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Raymond “Ray” Perry, formerly Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, a.k.a. Bravo 2/2B, Jason’s most trusted friend and the longest tenured member of the team. Ray is promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 in episode 3 of season 4.
• A. J. Buckley as Special Warfare Operator First Class Sonny Quinn a.k.a. Bravo 3/3B, a loyal but sometimes volatile SEAL who is at his best in firefights and prefers them over a leadership position.
• Toni Trucks as Ensign Lisa Davis, formerly Logistics Specialist First Class. and, since season 3, a DEVGRU Intelligence Officer assigned primarily to Bravo Team.
• Judd Lormand as Lieutenant Commander Eric Blackburn, Bravo Team’s commanding officer (recurring season 1; main season 2 – present).

Note:

Production

Development

Following the success of History Channel’s Six, on January 27, 2017, it was announced that CBS had given the pilot order for another Navy SEAL project. The episode was written and authored by Benjamin Cavell who was expected to be an executive producer, alongside Ed Redlich, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Christopher Chulack. Production companies involved with the pilot include Chulack Productions, East 25 C, Timberman/Beverly Productions and CBS Television Studios. On May 12, 2017, CBS officially ordered the pilot to series. A few days later, it was announced that the series, now titled SEAL Team, would premiere by September 27, 2017 and air on Wednesdays at 9:00 P.M.

The series received a full-season order on October 12, 2017, bringing the first season to a total of 22 episodes. On March 27, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a second season which premiered on October 3, 2018. On May 22, 2018, it was reported that both Cavell and Redlich were exiting their roles as executive producer and showrunner, and John Glenn replacing him as showrunner. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on December 2, 2020.

Casting

On March 14, 2017 it was announced that Jim Caviezel would topline CBS’ then-untitled Navy SEAL drama pilot but on March 22, 2017, it was announced that David Boreanaz had been cast in the pilot’s lead role of Jason, replacing Caviezel. On March 8, 2017, it was reported that A.J. Buckley would play Sonny. On August 15, 2018 it was reported that Judd Lormand had been upgraded to series regular for season 2. On August 8, 2018, it was announced that Michael McGrady and Ruffin Prentiss would recur as Captain Harrington and Summer Kairos in the series’ second season. On July 10, 2019, it was reported that Jamie McShane and Rudy Dobrev were cast in recurring roles for the third season. On August 7, 2019, Emily Swallow was cast in a recurring capacity for the third season. On January 27, 2021, Shiva Negar joined the cast in a recurring role for the fourth season.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 70% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 5.66/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “SEAL Team‘s solidly written first season offers compelling characters and hints at broader potential, even if it’s somewhat undermined by an overall sense of predictability.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.

Ratings

Accolades

Home media