‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Showrunner David Hudgins Talks Series Finale and Ending With the ‘Feeling of This Team Will Go on’ (Exclusive)

After six seasons, FBI: Most Wanted came to an end on Tuesday night, and showrunner David Hudgins spoke to PopCulture.com about what happened.

In “The Circle Game,” the agents hunted down a rogue government operative group planning a domestic terror attack. And they also shared some life-changing news.

First up, Shantel VanSanten’s Nina started off the episode in Houston, helping her sister Tink after she divorced her abusive husband. After Tink left, Nina had a much-needed chat with her dad, who apologized for what he said in the restaurant in New York earlier this season. He also apologized for not really being there for her and not supporting her over the years. Although Nina wasn’t willing to listen at first, she eventually gave in, and by the time Jackson was done talking, they were both crying.

Nina admitted she had forgiven her dad a long time ago, and it was closure that she’s needed for quite some time as their relationship has been painful. Hudgins said the moment is “very important because it informed her character.” He continued, “Shantel and I discussed that moment at length, and her performance in that scene – and in all the scenes with her father – was just incredible.”

Edwin Hodge’s Ray was also dealing with some family stuff, but in a different way. During the case, Ray and Nina were in the car talking, and Ray admitted that wife Cora (Skye P. Marshall) is pregnant. Hudgins shared that Ray “had been holding it for a few weeks” and although fans won’t be seeing him and Cora as parents and Cora’s son Caleb as a big brother, the showrunner said he “wanted the audience to know because I think Ray is a really good father – which he learned from his own dad.”

The episode ended with the team at the soft opening of Dylan McDermott’s Remy and Susan Misner’s Abby Deaver. Remy makes a sweet comment about how the team is family, which is why they’re the only ones at the soft opening. He also revealed that he would be retiring so he could focus on the restaurant and do something new. It was surprising but also fitting, and Hudgins said they “wanted to end the series with the feeling of this team will go on. And so will these characters. It just felt like the right note to hit – hope, not despair.”

With Remy stepping down, someone else has to step up. And who better to take over as leader of the Fugitive Task Force than Roxy Sternberg’s Sheryll Barnes. Despite going back and forth about a job in D.C., she ultimately chose to stay right where she is, albeit with a bit of a promotion. David Hudgins noted that Barnes “knew she would never be happy taking a desk job,” hence why she ended up not taking it.

“Her personal happiness comes from being ‘boots on the ground’ and taking bad guys off the street,” he continued. “It was a choice for herself, but also for her family, because she knew that being unhappy at work would filter into her personal life. Plus, she’s a bad-ass and she earned it.”

Meanwhile, Keisha Castle-Hughes’ Hana shared the news that she and Michael Raymond-James’ Ethan, who is completing rehab. Their relationship has seen some twists and turns as of late, but it seems like things are finally looking up for them. If Season 7 were to happen, Hudgins said he would see a “really eclectic and fun wedding” for the couple.

Since the finale was filled with action and gave all the characters happy endings and closure, and still made sure that the Fugitive Task Force was continuing, would Hudgins change anything? “No, I love the ending, and Dylan McDermott nailed it,” he said. Even though the show was canceled in March, it was hard to tell how the finale would do in terms of wrapping up stories, but it turned out pretty perfect.

It is going to be hard going into the 2025-26 season knowing that FBI: Most Wanted is done, but at the very least, it was able to get a proper finale. Something that a lot of canceled shows are unable to get. And as long as FBI continues, there’s always the chance that someone on the Fugitive Task Force shows up.