SEAL Team star and executive producer David Boreanaz details why Clay's death needed to happen. Given that it's an action drama that's centered around dangerous battlefields, death is nothing unusual for the Paramount+ Original. But the death of Clay Spenser (Max Thieriot) in season 6 continues to cause repercussions, particularly for Boreanaz's lead character Jason Hayes, as SEAL Team season 7 prepares to debut.
In an interview with Screen Rant's Rachel Foertsch, ahead of the SEAL season 7 premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, August 11, Boreanaz responds to how Clay's death will impact the characters heading into the show's final ten episodes. The star states they did not want to sugarcoat the dangers the characters face and underline that death is a real possibility. Read the full quote below:
We've always said that these men and women, specifically, operators, can or can't make it. We don't sugarcoat it. We don't play into it as a big soap opera moment in an episode in a series like this. One of the reasons why we were so geared to being more of a streaming outlet than a network show is we just didn't check those boxes.
So the authenticity is always there for a character to be removed—a nicer way of saying being shot or killed, or not making it. I think it's something that is on the plate for Jason Hayes for the end of the series. We always want to remind the audience that you just don't know when you're gonna get hit. I think in today's world of storytelling, especially with operators, that can happen at any given time.
Clay's Death Was A Response To Off-Screen Changes (But It Worked In The Show's Favor)
Thieriot Left To Headline His Own Show
Theriot exited SEAL Team to focus on a new project, being the co-creator and lead of the CBS drama Fire Country. Clay dies while trying to save another veteran, and his loss looks to have the biggest impact on Jason Hayes. The leader of the team naturally blames himself for what happened to Clay, though it ultimately ties into a larger thread regarding where Jason is in his own life and the fact that he may suddenly die even though, as a single father, there are people depending on him.
Some viewers argue that SEAL Team could have easily kept Clay alive, giving him a happy exit that would still have allowed Thieriot to make guest appearances if needed. But the Paramount+ Original takes the opportunity of the actor bowing out to make sure Clay's presence lingers on the show, even if he's unseen.
Clay's replacement is Foxtrot transfer Omar Hamza, played by Raffi Barsoumian, joining the season 7 cast that also features Neil Brown Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks, Raffi Barsoumian, and Beau Knapp. Although unseen, Clay will loom over these last episodes. Comments from showrunner Spencer Hudnut, and now Boreanaz, make clear that the former SEAL Team regular is not forgotten.
