CBS's SEAL Team

© by Gerald So | 5:30 a.m.

I've been interested in the U.S. Navy SEALs for almost thirty years, going back to one of my first attempts at fiction. As I came to admire the SEALs' teamwork above all, I abandoned my protagonist, a typical lone-wolf fictional ex-SEAL.

The title of CBS's new show may sound generic, but the show does emphasize team over individual as the real SEALs do. The episodes also feel real in the training and work they depict, where many recent military shows have strayed too far to the away-from-work, personal side.

You may know this show was originally set to star Jim Caviezel before recasting with David Boreanaz. Having seen Boreanaz expand his acting range in twelve seasons on Bones, he strikes me as better in the role of Master Chief Jason Hayes than Caviezel would have been, but then I last saw Caviezel as Person of Interest's impassive Mr. Reese.

While CBS is known for its procedurals, the closest thing to formula on SEAL Team is that no mission goes exactly as planned, letting the characters show the flexibility that sets special operators apart from conventional forces.

SEAL Team has performed well enough to receive a full-season order.