Jason Hayes’ role changes in SEAL Team season 7 after revealing his traumatic brain injury in season 6. New characters Drew Franklin and Captain Walch usher in changes for Bravo Team.
Relationships are tested in SEAL Team season 7 as the characters face pressure and adapt to a new era of warfare.
SEAL Team has one more season before it finishes its 100-plus episode run, and the final season trailer reveals a lot about the upcoming episodes, including how things will change after Clay Spenser’s death in season 6. The CBS/Paramount+ military drama debuted in 2017 and has garnered a huge audience and impressive ratings. However, like most shows, the show’s viewership began to decline, leading CBS to move SEAL Team to Paramount+ in season 5. The series ultimately lasted a season and a half on the streaming service before Paramount+ pulled the plug, making season seven its final season.
SEAL Team season 7 consists of 10 episodes, with the first two premiering on Sunday, August 11, 2024, and the remaining episodes released weekly on Paramount+ until the series finale, “‘The Last Word,” directed by Christopher Chulack and written by Spencer Hudnut.
As fans will recall, SEAL Team season 6 was tumultuous from start to finish, with the most notable development occurring in episode 8. A security guard killed Clay, played by Max Thieriot, after mistaking him for an intruder. Shot in the chest, Clay died quickly and there was no hope of saving him. Thieriot escaped from SEAL Team while he was busy working on the CBS series Fire Country, but that doesn’t make his character’s death any less painful. Now, in season 7, the rest of Bravo Team is still reeling from the tragedy, while also dealing with other issues.
SEAL Team star David Boreanaz’s character, Jason Hayes, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in season 5, a secret he kept from (except for Clay Spenser and Ray Perry) until the season 6 finale. Jason blamed himself for Clay’s death, as Clay had gone into the operation to spy on his team leader. He worried that others (i.e. his superiors) would find out about his weakened condition, and Jason noted that “Clay Spenser paid the ultimate price for that,” speaking to the crowd at the Navy Seals ceremony where Jason confessed to his traumatic brain injury.
After SEAL Team season 7 ended, David Boreanaz got his next TV show. While details about the project were limited, when asked about it, Boreanaz teased, “You know, I like suits, I like style, I like cars.”
As a result, the command attempted to relieve Jason of his duties. But Bravo Team stormed the briefing room, where they stood up in solidarity with their leader and revealed their conditions (i.e., tinnitus, blurred vision, Breacher syndrome, etc.). While Jason has not been relieved of his duties in the Navy, the SEAL Team season 7 trailer hints that he is no longer the leader of Bravo Team. Instead, Jason is taking on a supporting role in the crew. The video also hints that Jason may take on a mentor role in upcoming episodes.
It wouldn’t be a new season without some new faces, and after Max Thieriot left his role as Clay Spenser, two actors have joined the cast of SEAL Team season 7—Beau Knapp as Chief Special Warfare Operator Drew Franklin and Dylan Walsh as Captain Walch, both of whom can be spotted in the trailer. Knapp is a series regular, and (per TVLine) his character is described as a high-ranking officer with a checked-out history who’s assigned to Bravo Team to deal with their “problem child situation.” Walsh, meanwhile, is a recurring character, and Captain Walch is DEVGRU’s new Commanding Officer.
