'SEAL Team' Becomes a Paramount Plus Exclusive Part Way Through Season 5

Fans of the CBS show SEAL Team spent much of Season 4 wondering if it would be the show's last season. The season killed off some beloved characters while also building some finality to arcs that had been building for so long — but the news of Season 5 came with the announcement that the show would be leaving its home network.

The news surprised fans, who have been religiously tuning in for new episodes since 2017. Why is the show leaving CBS?

After the fate of the show remained in limbo for some time, it was finally confirmed that Season 5 of Seal Team would become a Paramount Plus exclusive, taking the title off the network after four seasons. This means the show is still staying with the CBS conglomerate but will instead become a streaming-only show.

The exact reasoning for this transition isn't entirely clear, though it's possible it has to do with CBS's promotion of its new streaming network. Paramount Plus was previously CBS All Access, which didn't have as positive a reception as Paramount Plus had. The show has a very devoted fan base, so it's possible the network is hoping that making the show a streaming exclusive will entice more people to subscribe to it.

"It's been a ride on Network TV for over 20 years, this Sunday marks my last episode on a Network for SEAL Team," David Boreanaz, who plays Jason Hayes on the show, said on Instagram on Oct. 31 of the transition. "Thank you to CBS for all your support and love for our show. I look forward to the streaming format and all that it has to offer for our great show! Tune in for a great goodbye and even better New Beginning!"

As SEAL Team made the transition over to the new streaming service, the first few episodes of the season continued to air on CBS at SEAL Team's regular air time. But starting Nov. 1, all of the new Season 5 episodes will only be available for streaming on Paramount Plus.

The service will continue to air new episodes one at a time, dropping on the streaming service every Sunday — the same day the show would typically air on the network — until the end of the season. The Nov. 1 episode will be a continuation of the two-part episode that began airing on Sunday, Oct. 31. It's clear the network is hoping the cliffhanger will entice more people to sign up for the streaming service while the shocking ending is still fresh in their minds.

At this time, it's unclear if Paramount Plus will continue the weekly format if SEAL Team is renewed for a sixth season or if the show will begin dropping new seasons all at once, but as opposed to other platforms like Netflix, Paramount Plus generally releases episodes weekly.

Watch all of the currently-available episodes for Season 5 of SEAL Team on Paramount Plus now, with new episodes releasing Sundays.