Clay’s potential appearance on SEAL Team season 7 gets an honest response from former cast member Max Thieriot. Led by Bones and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member David Boreanaz, SEAL Team will return for its final season without Clay Spenser. The character was killed off in season 6, allowing Thieriot to focus on his work as the star and co-creator of the CBS drama Fire Country. With his death, Clay leaves behind an aftertaste that the show is still grappling with.
In an interview with TV Insider, Thieriot addressed whether Clay could appear as part of a flashback scene in the upcoming SEAL Team season 7. The actor shared that he would love to appear, emphasizing that it could still happen at the last minute, but noted that it would not happen. Thieriot’s comments echo what showrunner Spencer Hudnut has said previously. Here’s their quote:
Thieriot: I would love to go and do it, but I think they’re getting ready to shoot the rest of the season right now, and I know they’re going to Colombia. So, as far as I know, there’s no plans for that, unfortunately, unless they call me at the last minute.
Hudnut: We’ve done things like that in the past. I just think part of the decision was to finish Max’s job this season was a struggle. The idea of being able to plan ahead and figure that out seems daunting, but we would never turn anything down. Clay’s legacy will live on in the show. And yes, if there was an opportunity for us to do something like that, I would be all for it because he was such a big part of the show.
Thieriot said goodbye near the end of SEAL Team season 6, when Clay died while trying to save a veteran. While the narrative decision freed Thieriot to focus on Fire Country, it ultimately had a significant impact on the rest of the SEAL Team characters. This was especially evident in the season 6 finale, co-written by Hudnut and Dana Greenblatt and directed by Christopher Chulack, in which Jason Hayes (Boreanaz) struggled to come to terms with what happened to Clay and blamed himself. Clay was replaced on Foxtrot by Omar Hamza, played by new cast member Raffi Barsoumian. Along with that change, Jason finally revealed that he had a TBI. He detailed how it negatively impacted his recent missions. This did not endear Jason to his superiors, as Jason admitted it at his Navy Seal ceremony. However, Jason’s team ultimately defended him and shared that they were all dealing with their own traumas. It remains to be seen what the fallout from that show of solidarity will be when season 7 premieres.
SEAL Team season 7 will welcome new cast members, including Superman & Lois actor Dylan Walsh and Beau Knapp, best known for his role as Knox in the horror film Death Wish. It will also have to close out the mainstays played by Boreanaz, Neil Brown Jr., AJ Buckley, and Toni Trucks. Even if Clay doesn’t show up in flashbacks or elsewhere, the Paramount+ drama will still have an eventful ending.
