'FBI: Most Wanted' Newcomer Dylan McDermott Addresses Fans Who Can Only See His Richard Wheatley Character
Dylan McDermott has a real challenge ahead of himself on FBI: Most Wanted. Just weeks after making his final appearance as the villainous Richard Wheatley on Law & Order: Organized Crime, he has to convince TV viewers he can be a good guy. It's a task he relishes as an actor.
"I think it's really interesting. I've been reading comments online, and people are saying, 'It's too soon. He's Richard Wheatley, a bad guy,'" McDermott told reporters ahead of his FBI debut, reports Deadline. "I relish in that because it's amazing that people believe that I'm the character I'm playing."
McDermott will take over the Fugitive Task Force on Most Wanted after Julian McMahon left the show in early March. He will play Remy Scott, who makes his debut in the April 12 episode. Most Wanted airs on CBS Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET, following FBI and FBI: International. Both the FBI and Law & Order franchises are Dick Wolf productions.
McDermott noted that viewers would see him in a "completely different light" as Remy compared to Wheatley. The characters are two "wildly different people" with unique agendas. "I knew instinctively that I had played some questionable people along the way and now it's time to play someone good again. Remy Scott is that character," The Practice star said.
Most Wanted executive producer David Hudgins said he had no problem with McDermott coming to the show after playing a villain. "From a writer's standpoint and a creating the show standpoint, it was not a concern because we had an idea of this character conceptually early on and it just expanded even further when Dylan came onboard," Hudgins said. "The idea was this guy is going to have some energy and some lightness and some ability to connect with people. Which I do think is one of his biggest assets."
McDermott teased a big introductory episode for Remy. "I feel like we really hit the ground running in the first episode," the actor said Wednesday. "I think that because these people are professionals, they are agents, they know we have a job to do. Yes, maybe they have feelings, certainly about who I am and where I came from. But I think that awkwardness really diminishes after the first episode."
Most Wanted debuted in January 2020 as the first FBI spin-off, with McMahon's Jess LaCroix as the team leader. The Season 3 cast includes Romy Stemberg, Keisha Castle Hughes, YaYaGosselin, Miguel Gomez, and Alexa Davalos. All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+. Meanwhile, Law & Order: Organized Crime is available on NBCUniversal's Peacock.