CBS greenlit the pilot for SEAL Team on January 27, 2017, following the success of History Channel's Navy SEAL drama Six, before officially ordering it to series on May 12, 2017.

The show went through several showrunner changes: original creator Benjamin Cavell and Ed Redlich left in 2018 to be replaced by John Glenn, who himself was dismissed in 2019 after an internal CBS probe led to his firing and the cancellation of his overall deal; Spencer Hudnut then took over as showrunner.

Jim Caviezel was originally announced on March 14, 2017 to lead the then-untitled Navy SEAL drama, but was replaced by David Boreanaz just eight days later on March 22, 2017.

Judd Lormand, who played Eric Blackburn, was only a recurring guest star in season 1 before being upgraded to series regular for season 2.

The production strives for authenticity by employing real former Navy SEALs Mark Semos and Kenny Sheard in the writers' room, and more than 70 percent of the crew are military veterans.

Almost the entire stunt team is made up of former special operators, and actor Tyler Grey, who plays Trent, is himself a former Delta Force operator.

After moving from CBS to Paramount+ starting with season 6 in 2022, the series was announced in November 2023 to end after its seventh season, with plans for a spin-off standalone movie on Paramount+ being cancelled at the same time.