CBS Military Drama ‘SEAL Team’ “Will Transcend Politics,” EP Says – TCA

When asked by a member of the TCA press corps today about how the new CBS military drama SEAL Team plays into the prevailing pro-military sentiment in America, EP Benjamin Cavell defended his show and Navy SEALs. “The things they do transcend politics; they don’t look at the results of elections,” he said. “The work they do — it doesn’t matter who is in the White House.”

Added EP Ed Redlick on how SEAL Team will be more about the personal drama of those involved in these high-stakes missions: “We’re well aware of the work that Tier One operators do. They go to other places and are in the heart of arresting people of certain color and we don’t want to be telling those stories; we don’t want to be a chest pumping show.” And like CBS’ other new procedural, Wisdom of the Crowd, SEAL Team doesn’t want to be known as a case-of-the-week show but more of a character-driven drama.

“There was a three-star general who was against the war in Iraq, yet he fulfilled his duties even though he disagreed  with the larger goal, so it’s opportunity to look at that,” EP Sarah Timberman said about one of the consultants of the show. While SEAL Team might look jingoistic, it strives to show how cautious those in the military are about warfare than the political figureheads who are rallying us to fight.

“It’s not about the politics, it’s a human study,” asserted co-star Christopher Chulack.