Upfronts 2017: Hot Series Trend – Patriotic Dramas With Military Heroes

Military dramas are this year’s time-travel shows. Four were ordered to pilot, NBC’s The Brave (fka For God and Country), CBS’ SEAL Team (fka Navy SEAL), Fox’s Behind Enemy Lines and the CW’s Valor. Of the four, three  — The Brave, SEAL Team and Valor –– have been picked up to series, with Behind Enemy Lines still in contention, possibly for redevelopment.

Similarly, last year all three time-travel pilots, NBC’s Timeless, ABC’s Time After Time and Fox’s Making History, went to series. Of them, only Timeless made to Season 2 after a dramatic cancellation and un-cancellation.

The projects tap into the mood of the country post-election and the networks’ ongoing push to get more programs featuring military heroes, which was triggered by the success of American Sniper. The Brave, Navy SEAL and Valor‘s pickups follow the recent successful launches of USA’s Shooter and History’s Six, both of which have been renewed for a second season as TV nets have been looking for series that reflect and appeal to blue-collar audiences and viewers in flyover states.

While CBS and the CW are yet to unveil their schedules, The Brave impressively became the only new ongoing drama series NBC is launching in the fall and was given the plum post-Voice Monday 10 PM slot. It is “a look into the complex world of our bravest military heroes.”