CBS Reveals Fates of 'FBI' Franchise Series: 'FBI', 'FBI: Most Wanted' and 'FBI: International'
CBS is going all-in on the FBI business. The network renewed all three FBI franchise shows for two seasons, meaning there will be new episodes of the trio through at least 2024. FBI, FBI: International, and FBI: Most Wanted are three of the most-watched shows on Tuesday nights, so the renewal is no surprise.
The first FBI series debuted in September 2017, with FBI: Most Wanted launching in January 2019. FBI: International debuted in September 2021. The shows are all produced by Dick Wolf, who is best known as the creator of NBC's Law & Order and One Chicago shows. In fact, Tracy Spiridakos played her Chicago P.D. character Det. Hailey Upton in an FBI Season 2 episode, linking the FBI, Chicago, and Law & Order franchises.
"The FBIs are one of the most successful brands in the entire TV landscape and a powerful cornerstone of our #1 lineup," CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said Monday. "They've attracted a dedicated, loyal fan base, thanks to the extraordinary vision of executive producer Dick Wolf and the talents of all three outstanding casts and creative teams. I know we and our viewers look forward to two additional seasons of engaging, heroic stories."
"Everybody who works on these three shows is over the moon about the multi-year pickups," Wolf said. "We are all incredibly grateful to CBS and our partners at Universal Television and CBS Studios. And I personally would like to thank the incredible casts, talented writers, and dedicated producers, not to mention three crews who never missed an airdate despite the difficulties of producing full seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic."
FBI is the most-watched show on Tuesdays, averaging 10.35 million viewers. It is also the number two overall most-watched show on broadcast TV, behind only CBS' NCIS. FBI is also in the top five most-streamed current CBS shows on Parmount+. FBI: International averages 8.31 million viewers this season, whole FBI: Most Wanted averages 8.85 million viewers. All three shows are produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television in association with CBS Studios.
The FBI franchise continues Wolf's successful format, where the show can survive multiple cast changes as long as the procedural format survives. Most Wanted just passed its first big cast change test, as series star Julian McMahon left in March. His character was replaced by Dylan McDermott's Remy Scott. McDermott recently played the villain Richard Wheatley on Wolf's Law & Order: Organized Crime, but his new character is a hero. Most Wanted also stars Roxy Stemberg, Keisha Castle Hughes, YaYa Gosselin, Miguel Gomez, and Alexa Davalos.
FBI's lead cast includes Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, Connie Nielsen, Alana de la Garza, John Boyd, and Katherine Renee Turner. Luke Kleintank, Heida Reed, Carter Redwood, Vinessa Vidotto, and Christiane Paul star in FBI: International. All three shows are available to stream on Paramount+.