While fans of military drama SEAL Team are looking forward to Season 6 plus a streaming movie starring Bravo (which David Boreanaz has already celebrated), the series may be missing one star when the show returns to Paramount+. Max Thieriot, who portrays Bravo-6 Clay Spenser, is working on a project that may have some conflict.
Last fall, it was announced that Max Thieriot and CBS are developing Cal Fire, a series based on the actor’s experience growing up in Northern California fire country. At the time, he was only on the project to serve as a writer and executive producer, though now things have changed. Thieriot is now set to star in Cal Fire's pilot, according to Deadline, so Clay may be missing from the upcoming sixth season of SEAL Team if all goes well with the potential new CBS show.
In Cal Fire, Thieriot will play Bode, a young convict. He didn’t have the best life growing up and got into some trouble, but he’s given a chance with a firefighting program in his Northern California hometown, working alongside fellow inmates and other firefighters. Filled with guilt, Bode has to move forward and look to the present, though it likely won’t be easy. Currently the series only has a pilot deal with CBS, but if it’s picked up to series, Thieriot could possibly do both that and SEAL Team.
The actor is reportedly the only main SEAL Team cast member who has yet to sign a Season 6 deal, which isn’t surprising if he wanted to see what would happen with Cal Fire. The series has an intriguing plot, and I'd say that there can never be enough procedurals on TV. While I would love to see Clay Spenser stick around on SEAL Team, it may be Bode’s time to shine.
Coincidentally, the Season 5 finale of SEAL Team does give Max Thieriot a perfect excuse to either depart from the series or have an extended leave of absence. The season ended on a cliffhanger that left the Bravo Team getting ambushed while on a mission in Mali and under heavy fire. On top of that, he did also tell Jason that he was leaving Bravo to focus on his family. Following the finale, star David Boreanaz wasn’t sure on the status of the team, possibly indicating that some of Bravo won’t make it out alive.
With CBS Studios behind both SEAL Team and Cal Fire, it might be straightforward for Thieriot to do both shows at once depending on the schedule. The hours and additional training that he would potentially have to go through for Cal Fire could be grueling, but it's possible that SEAL Team's status as Paramount+ show could be a factor.
I love SEAL Team and I would love to obsess over a new procedural with Cal Fire, so fingers crossed that if the show does get picked up, Clay Spenser isn’t going anywhere. But in the meantime, all five seasons of SEAL Team are streaming on Paramount+.
