SEAL TEAM, the new military drama series from CBS, starring David Boreanaz and Jessica Paré, premieres tonight at 9/8c.

The second of three military dramas to premiere this Fall, SEAL TEAM has the distinction of being a bit more grounded than THE BRAVE (NBC, premiered Monday) and eons better than VALOR (CW, coming soon). While SEAL TEAM and THE BRAVE have very similar pilots including a decision made and immediately thrown out regarding a civilian rescue, SEAL TEAM has one important thing THE BRAVE doesn’t: a dog on the team.

Let’s be real, that’s not the only reason I prefer SEAL TEAM but it helps! David Boreanaz (his character is Jason Hayes) is an established star that automatically gives this show some weight – having been on TV every week basically for the last 20 years, his charm, swagger, and struggle to forget a mission that haunts him feels more earned than that of his “competition.”

His team (Niel Brown, Jr, Toni Trucks, AJ Buckley, and Max Thieriot) and his government counterpart (Paré) all feel fully developed and I’m more invested in Jason’s personal life than any other personal drama on the others. I think the show is tailor-made for CBS viewers and is very likely to succeed. 

In short, if I had to choose one military drama this fall, SEAL TEAM is the most likely to stick.