Fall TV First Impressions: SEAL Team

The TV networks have nearly 20 shows premiering this fall, including The CW’s soapy New Dynasty, NBC’s look at brave military heroes and the adventures of Gifted’s mutants. Fox. To help you prepare for it all, TVLine is providing First Impressions of unrated pilot shows.[pmc_inline_gallery]

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SET UP | Boreanaz plays Jason Hayes, the leader of an ultra-elite Navy SEAL team consisting of Buckley, Brown Jr., Trucks and new baggage handler Thieriot. Pare plays a CIA analyst who helps coordinate the missions.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS | If you were among the 1.7 million people who watched History’s SIX pilot, any déja vu you felt while watching the SEAL Team trailer (embedded below) is understood as well as shared by me , even more so than when the entire pilot took place. There are plenty of parallels, including strained marriages back home and even a covert operation that conflicts with a carpet show. And did I mention that the new team member receives a cold reception due to his unproven skills?

But CBS doesn’t need to lose sleep over those in the overlapping SIX/SEAL Team Venn diagram; after all, America’s most-watched Network has more than a million breakfast eaters. They’ve come into their own with these heroes, and minus the overcomplicated mission of rescuing a former team leader, the SEAL Teams come across as a slightly more procedural and less sequential team ( although it seems like Jason will be haunted by a tragic loss; therapist suggests Reiko Aylesworth, thank you). But the question is: what does the weekly SEAL series look like in the post-bin Laden era? You can’t always rush into HVT’s bunker, a type of high-profile bad guy capture that in recent years has attracted the attention of film and TV executives looking to cash in on the forces special forces.

Starting out as one-time Army Ranger Seeley Booth, Boreanaz feels at home here, making the tough calls overseas while earning (just a little) sympathy back home. home from his ex (Aquarius’s Michael McManus). The pilot spends very little time getting to know the other team members, although Trucks does get a memorable moment.
TVLINE LINE | CBS is probably looking to throw something shiny and new into this Wednesday slot given the lackluster fare from ABC and NBC, while Fox’s Star and The CW’s Dynasty vie for any scraps. Would a less grim drama attract more attention than its predecessor, Crime Minds, which airs an hour later? I’m curious to see how this scheduling decision plays out.