HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Did Judd Lormand quit ‘SEAL Team’? Truth behind Blackburn's return rumors and why angry fans are slamming Soto

The actor who plays Eric Blackburn is sadly credited as a ‘special guest’ instead of ‘series regular’

It's was quite a heartbreak for fans to learn Jessica Paré was not going to be a series regular when ‘SEAL Team’ Season 4 began. Not only will fans miss CIA vet and Jason Hayes' (David Boreanaz) love interest Mandy Ellis but another beloved character seems to have exited the show. 

In Episode 7 ‘All In’, Eric Blackburn (played by Judd Lormand) told Bravo Team that he would not be going on the next mission as he had been offered a promotion. Right after the scene, there were many fans wondering if he was leaving the show. Sadly, there is a chance it could be true as the actor is credited as a “special guest” instead of “series regular”. 

RELATED ARTICLES

‘SEAL Team’ Season 4 Episode 8 Spoilers: Can Ray overcome trauma and will Jason help him heal from the torture?

‘SEAL Team’ Season 4 Episode 7 Spoilers: Will Jason go to San Diego with Natalie and does he need a fresh start?

‘Is he leaving the show?’

Right after that episode, there were rumors that Blackburn had left the show. “So if Blackburn is getting a promotion is he leaving the show?” one fan asked and another said, “Blackburn left in 4x07 and #SEALTeam jumped the shark.”

Now, after the eighth episode, the rumors have only gotten stronger and fans are demanding him back. “It’s just so odd how they’ve wreaked havoc with HAVOC this season. Blackburn and Mandy gone and Davis transferring. Who’s left? New people?” one tweet read and another said, “BRING. BACK. BLACKBURN. He would never let the team disintegrate like this.” A third chimed in, “Excuse you, Sonny, BLACKBURN was the best OIC Bravo ever had.”

One fan even went on to say, “I do not understand why #SEALTeam is isolating Jason. They took away his support system of Mandy, Blackburn, Natalie, and put him at odds with his boss, his daughter, his best friend, and his team. It feels wrong & is uncomfortable to watch. Let the man have a smidgen of peace!”

Will Blackburn return to the show?

Going by the latest episode, Blackburn is gone for now and his character has been replaced by Lt Wes Soto played by Mike Wade. Going by the IMDb listing for now, he is credited for two episodes in 2021 until now. As for Blackburn, ‘All In’ is the last one on the list. 

Nonetheless, when Jessica left the show as series regular, showrunner Spencer Hudnut said in a statement, “For Mandy’s story arc, it was finally time for her to retire and leave this life of service, but this does not mean we won’t potentially see her again later.”

Does that mean we could see the return of the Bravo Team commanding officer? Well, only time will tell. “Our show strives to be as authentic as possible to the experiences of our service members, and similar to real life, SEAL Team units change and evolve so in our show some of the characters move on as well,” Hudnut had also said.

The new episode was written by Dana Greenblatt and Rashaan Dozier-Escalante and directed by Ruben Garcia. What do you think will happen? Will Lorman come back? Do you want him back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

‘SEAL Team’ returned on January 13, 2021, with the fifth episode — ‘The Carrot or the Stick’ — from 9 pm ET to 10 pm ET after the winter break. After a one-week break, the CBS show is back with the eighth episode and will be telecast on March 3, 2021, on CBS Network in the same timeslot.