SEAL Team Star Reveals Jason's Near-Death Experience

The recent culmination of the seventh season of the Paramount+ series SEAL Team has left fans both satisfied and a bit wistful. It’s a bittersweet experience that can only be likened to finishing a delicious dessert—one part joy, two parts longing for just one more bite. David Boreanaz, the man who embodied Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Jason Hayes, took a moment to reflect on his character’s fate in that military drama we’ve all grown oddly attached to, as if we could just call him up for a coffee chat about life and death decisions.

In a conversation with Variety—because where else do you go for existential musings about military drama?—Boreanaz revealed that the thought of killing off Jason did indeed bubble up in discussions among the creative team. "We played with the idea in one season,” he remarked, “where he is taking more of a command in the HAVOC [control] room and trying to feel what that would feel like." What an intriguing thought! But can you imagine Master Chief wrestling with office politics? One minute he’s heroically leaping into battle, and the next he’s awkwardly navigating the coffee machine. I will say, that’s a setup that would indeed make one feel like a fish out of water—though let’s be real, Jason is more of a shark in a room full of tuna.

“The real essence of the guy is, he would somewhat break the rules,” Boreanaz mused, and it’s hard not to chuckle at the delicious irony of that statement. After all, what’s a good military drama without a character who bends some rules? In the pilot, he famously darts off to grab the files and nearly meets his maker. Who needs a safety net when you have bravado, right? “That's who he is, and I'm glad that we stuck with that," he proclaimed, sounding like the proud parent of an unruly child who just can’t help but topple over the furniture in pursuit of adventure.

As for the thought of actually killing Jason off, Boreanaz candidly admitted it crossed his mind at the end of Season 4. “Maybe we should just kill him off, and end it,” he pondered out loud. But let’s not be hasty, shall we? Ending things dramatically can sometimes feel like that last slice of pizza that people argue about—someone’s going to end up disappointed. A fleeting moment of sanity ensued when Boreanaz concluded he would be doing the role an injustice if they took such a drastic step. Perhaps it’s a lesson learned: trauma in stories shouldn’t always manifest as the end, but can also guide the journey.

Created by Benjamin Cavell, SEAL Team kicked off its first episode in 2017, reminiscent of that first sip of coffee on a chilly morning—invigorating and just what we needed. As it transitioned to Paramount+ halfway through its fifth season, it became an integral part of our digital lives.

The show invites us into the intense world of elite Navy SEALs, showcasing their training, planning, and execution of missions that could inspire a hundred action flicks—or an anxiety attack, depending on how one feels about high-stakes drama. With a cast that includes Max Thieriot, Jessica Paré, Neil Brown Jr., A. J. Buckley, and Toni Trucks, it’s a motley crew that has found a way to meld chaos with camaraderie, a dynamic that only strengthens as the series progresses.

Boreanaz has previously expressed that it was simply time to draw the curtain on this chapter, remarking he was "done, both physically and mentally." It’s a fascinating and valid point; as actors, they often traverse emotional landscapes that can be as taxing as an actual tour of duty. Boreanaz poignantly noted, “From my perspective, as an actor playing these emotions, I can only imagine how they are for those that are actually living it.” This is where art imitates life in its most staggering form, highlighting not just the battles fought on screen, but those that linger off screen as well.

In the end, while SEAL Team may have come to a close, all seasons are now streaming on Paramount+, an open invitation to revisit the highs, the lows, and all those moments of heartfelt tension wrapped in the kind of camaraderie that makes us all a little less lonely. Let's raise a toast to Jason and his escapades, shall we? After all, every hero deserves a proper send-off, and perhaps a bit of cake while we’re at it.