One Thing David Boreanaz Prefers About SEAL Team Over Bones

david boreanaz seal team jason hayes cbs
(Image credit: Image courtesy of CBS)

David Boreanaz is the veteran of multiple hit TV shows, and he's currently the star of CBS' successful SEAL Team as Bravo Team leader Jason Hayes. The military drama delivered impressive ratings for CBS right off the bat, and additional episodes were ordered for the first season after only the first three installments aired. Boreanaz landed SEAL Team before Bones brought its 12-year run on Fox to an end, and he ultimately wasn't off the airwaves all that long following Bones' finale. With Season 2 of SEAL Team only a couple of months away, David Boreanaz spoke with CinemaBlend about what he prefers about working on his new show as opposed to Bones, saying this:

It's a humbling experience to work with amazing veterans on our show, that work on our show. The real Tier One operators that reflect an honesty about the show and accuracy to what we portray pretty to a T, as far as what we wear, what we do, tactically-wise, what they go through struggle-wise, emotionally. It's just a different type of show. All around different dynamics, approach, how you shoot the show, involvement with the types of people. It's just a blessing.

When it comes to SEAL Team, David Boreanaz appreciates the opportunities to work with veterans who know what it's really like to work as Navy SEALs and Tier One operators. Working with veterans has enabled the show to achieve a degree of accuracy that not all series can manage. Boreanaz had nothing bad to say about his work on Bones, but Bones simply wasn't a show that called for accuracy quite as much.

Viewers had to suspend their disbelief for Bones to make sense, and it worked for that show. SEAL Team comes from a place that is populated with heroes who can achieve remarkable things, but those heroes are based in reality and inspired by a real class of people who worked very hard to get where they are. David Boreanaz went on in our chat to say this about how playing Jason Hayes has been a new experience for him:

When you ask me what have I been doing differently than I've done on other shows, you know, it's just a character, Jason Hayes, for me to explore and really get under the microscope with him and take the audience on a ride that is impactful. To understand what these Tier One guys go through and that they are human and yes, they protect and serve, but they do a lot more than that, above and beyond. There's a lot of struggle that goes on in the home lives with them. I'm excited about that.

It's certainly true that David Boreanaz' characters on the two shows are quite distinct from each other. Although FBI Agent Seeley Booth on Bones was a veteran of a branch of the United States Armed Forces and remained devoted to seeking justice, Jason Hayes on SEAL Team is an active member of the Navy SEALs who leads Bravo Team into and out of dangerous situations on a regular basis. Their lives and circumstances are very different, so David Boreanaz' experiences playing them are naturally very different.

Despite some creative changes behind the scenes on the show, we can expect Jason Hayes and the other SEAL Team characters to develop and undoubtedly struggle when the show returns for its second season on Wednesday, October 3 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The first season proved that the show could deliver intense action scenes as well as emotionally impactful scenes between the various characters. There are a lot of directions SEAL Team can go in Season 2. Now all we have to do is count down the days until the premiere.

If you're in the mood to watch (or rewatch) SEAL Team, you can find the full first season on DVD starting August 14 with exclusive bonus content, cast interview, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. For additional viewing options, take a look at our summer TV schedule and our fall TV premiere guide.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).