“In the past, we’ve seen Jason struggle mentally, with TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), the loss of people in his life, and now it’s like, ‘OK, how do I open up those doors to healing them rather than just forget about them? How do I shed light on it in order to become a better person?’” Boreanaz tells Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “For self-care, he’s not going to go to a spa; for self-care, he’s more of a guy that’s going to be more investigative into those issues.” And in the season finale, SEAL Team opens the door a crack into just how Jason will do that, and he won’t be alone. He will be joined by other members of Bravo to examine the baggage they’ve brought back from war. “What’s exciting about that is these men that suffer from these side effects of casualties of war will pretty much dive into these issues with different types of treatments, whether that’s psychedelic treatments, extensive therapy or a retreat that allows them to embrace those dark moments,” Boreanaz continues. “So, that’s going to be interesting to see how that unfolds.” When Seal Team returns for its fifth season in the fall to examine those issues and continue the war on terror, it will air its first four episodes on CBS, but then the rest of the season will stream on Paramount+. Boreanaz isn’t sure what that means as far as changes to the show, but it’s something he’s eager to explore. “I’ve worked in network television for almost 25 years now,” he says. “I started off in the cult [Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel] environment and then went over to Bones, which was mainstream. It was just this fantastic journey, but I’m excited about the world of streaming. That’s the way a lot of people watch shows. So, I’m open to that and I think we have to pivot.” On tonight’s “One Life to Live” episode of SEAL Team, Bravo takes a devastating hit that will change the team forever and forces each member to make major personal decisions. We also spoke to Boreanaz about that, about the show dealing with sexual harassment in the military and more about the move to Paramount+.
When we start the finale tonight, there are issues between Clay (Max Thieriot) and Sonny (AJ Buckley), and Jason and Ray (Neil Brown Jr.). What’s happening?
These guys have gone through so much. At the beginning of the season, they’d gone through so many adversities and conflicts. So, we spent a lot of the season studying the emotional impact of the environment and situation that all of these characters had been through, especially with Jason going through the trial and being exonerated and emotionally torn up as well as physically. He was in Bravo, out of Bravo, back to Bravo. There’s so much that he went through–this ring of fire–and there are some questions, for Jason to say, “Where does the team stand? How damaged are they? How can we fully bring them back firing on all cylinders? What’s great about this show is it allows these characters to go to those places and find out how they are different when they go through it. They do have to pivot and adjust. These are the best of the best and they know how to do that, but they’re always going to be taking their stuff with them, their mental health and how that has affected their relationships with everybody. Where they are now, I think they’re a little bit better than where they were when it started, especially in the middle of the season.
Jason is trying to change and be there for his men “inside the wire” as much as “outside.” That seems to have stemmed from that visit that he made to Theo, a former team member, who made a comment about that.
Yeah. His journey this season has been that: I’m going back to see an ex-brother, who I was leading but didn’t know much about, and didn’t know that he was dealing with the mental aspect of it, and how he would deal with that regardless of substance abuse while he was operating. These things were eye-opening for Jason. He realized that you’ve got to be more aware of what’s going on around you, which will make you a better leader. Jason has always been ignoring override, but I think going back and seeing his brother and realizing [it can’t be] just put it in your phone and forget about it, sweep it under the carpet. I think he’s starting now to come to terms with it. He’ll become a better leader in the end, more of a Jedi. He’s going through that passage.
The show introduced through the character of Lisa Davis (Toni Trucks) sexual harassment in the military, something that’s a little bit outside of the team. How was that decision made?
You’d have to ask Spencer Hudnut, the showrunner/executive producer, that question. I think we have to remain truthful to the environment and what these men and women go through in the workplace, and it’s no different from any other workplace. It gives balance to the storytelling. I know as a director, when I was shooting the scenes, I found the balance to be accurate to Davis’s storyline in her arc, but I don’t want to speak for her or the other cast members. I applaud that balance because again, the show is the show. And I don’t think that it would be honest if we weren’t going down storylines that were of that nature. I think that it’s important to find that that balance instead of keeping it all action or all emotional. What these men and women go through is very important.
This finale is not an action cliffhanger. Was this written the way that it was because you didn’t know whether or not you would be picked up for another season?
Oh, no, no. We didn’t get any kind of marching orders from the network to write specifically to the end of Season 4. We wrote the end of Season 4 for us. It’s very open-ended; you don’t know where these characters are going. You get a flash of some treatment of side effects with Jason. So, I don’t think that it’s a heavy cliffhanger, but I do think emotionally the way we did the season this year, it’s a cliffhanger for the characters. If the show would have not come back, I don’t think it would do a service for the fans, especially the characters.
When you do the battle scenes, and I know you do a lot of your own stunts, does that get the adrenaline flowing almost as if it’s real? Because it really looks scary.
It’s scary. We applaud ourselves and we’re proud of the fact that we do it pretty real, and that’s what we want to show. That’s what our trademark is and this workplace show for these characters is that. When you’re there in the action sequences, jumping in and out of helicopters, flying in a Black Hawk, the element of being in that moment, it just energizes you. When we are safely using firearms–because we’re very, very safe on that show, we work with the best people, we’ve got DEVGRU guys and real SEALs who know how to handle firearms, so, you couldn’t be safer as far as that’s concerned–we’re always in that moment. And whether you’re reloading and getting hit with [slugs], that represent bullets flying over your head, it’s pretty intense. And you get some casings and shells that fly up in the air that fall on the back of your neck, and those things burn. That’s happened a lot. We put ourselves in the fire and, I think, it definitely shows.
You were very active on social media, encouraging CBS to pick up the show. Talk about your decision to do that.
It was my responsibility and love for the show. I’m humbled to be able to tell stories of this nature for the men and women who sacrifice their lives. Nothing’s greater than that. And for us, I just don’t feel like we’re done telling this guy’s story. With anything you have a passionate love for, you go out. And the fans are fantastic. They stepped up. They definitely made an impact. I applaud their efforts to get on board and support that. They did, and their voices were heard.
So, the first four episodes of Season 5 will be on CBS before you move to Paramount+, right?
We’ll do four episodes and then we’ll launch into the streaming world, which will be our home.
What will that mean? Do you think there’ll be any changes?
It’s kind of fluid now. Obviously, Standards and Practices won’t be so on us. We don’t have to worry about the network. The challenge was to push the envelope, as we did. We showed a lot. Thankfully CBS allowed us to do that. I think going into the streaming world allows to make these mini-movies even better. I don’t want to over-talk because I don’t really know much about that. We’re just learning. I think it’s going to be better. I think it’s 18 minutes more screen time. You’re going to get a lot; you’re going to get a bigger punch for storytelling. I think when you watch a show like SEAL Team on the network, it goes so fast and then you hit a commercial. Today’s world is much different. Nobody wants to sit through commercials. They want to just watch shows, so they record them for later, so they can speed through it. So, for a show like SEAL Team, I think it benefits us to move to the platform. The only thing that you’re not going to get is 20 episodes. The streaming world is 10 episodes. That’s the environment; it’s the way they do these shows. So, they’re going to be like the mini-movies. I think it sets it up for a perfect transition going into possible other seasons. So, it’s like, “All right, let’s go on a mission for two weeks. Let’s examine that at a speed that will be really breathtaking.” SEAL Team airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Next, find 0ut what shows have been canceled and renewed for fall 2021.
