FBI: Most Wanted is an American crime drama television series created by René Balcer and produced by Wolf Entertainment that was ordered to series by CBS in May 2019.[1] It is the first spin-off from Dick Wolf's drama FBI, in whose first season the characters of the series were introduced. The series premiered on January 7, 2020.
In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season; which premiered on November 17, 2020.[2][3] In March 2021, CBS renewed the series for a third season;[4] which premiered on September 21, 2021.[5]
In May 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fourth and fifth season.[6] The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2022.[7] The fifth season premiered on February 13, 2024.[8]
Premise
The series focuses on the work of FBI's New York Fugitive Task Force, which relentlessly tracks and captures the notorious and dangerous criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Overseeing the team is FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix, a seasoned, enigmatic agent at the top of his game who uses his expert profiling skills to help apprehend the most dangerous criminals. Throughout Season 1, the task force includes Special Agents Sheryll Barnes, an ex–New York Police Department detective with a degree in behavioral psych who serves as the team's second in command; Kenny Crosby, a United States ArmyMilitary Intelligence vet Jess has taken under his wing; Hana Gibson, the team's intelligence analyst; and Clinton Skye, one of the most experienced field agents on the team, and the brother of Jess's deceased wife, as well as Jess's brother-in-law with Clinton, and also the team's sharpshooter or sniper. The team also operates out of an area in 26 Fed in Manhattan or in an unidentified building that is under the control of the FBI. While on the road investigating cases, they also operate from a mobile command center that serves as their main base of operations.
In season 2, Skye is put on special assignment to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is eventually replaced by Special Agent Ivan Ortiz, an ex–Los Angeles Police Departmentgang officer with street cop instincts while Crosby replaces Skye as the team's sniper/sharpshooter. In the season 3 premiere, Crosby is put on medical leave (after being wounded by a former Army comrade during an investigation, Crosby having assisted FBI agents Maggie Bell and OA Zidan) and leaves, returning to Oklahoma. He is replaced by Special Agent Kristin Gaines, a rising star from the FBI's Miamifield office. Later, in the second half of the season, LaCroix is shot in the neck and killed by a fugitive, which devastates the rest of the team. He is eventually replaced by Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott—fresh off a multi-year stint with the FBI's Las Vegas field team—as team leader. Near the end of the season, Ortiz takes time away from the task force to care for his ailing father in Los Angeles. By season 4, he has transferred back to Los Angeles permanently to continue taking care of his father and is soon replaced by rookie Special Agent Ray Cannon, a New Orleans native who is also an ex–New Orleans Police Department detective whose father was part of the bureau.
Between seasons 4 and 5, Gaines transfers to Denver to be near her children, and Special Agent Nina Chase from the New York Field Office takes her place on the team.
Cast
Main cast of FBI: Most Wanted as of Season 4.
Main
Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix, (seasons 1–3),[9]FBI Supervisory Special agent and Team Leader. He is the widower of deceased US Army Intelligence officer Angelyne Skye LaCroix and the father of Natalia "Tali" Skye LaCroix as well as the brother-in-law of FBI Special Agent Clinton Skye. He is also a profiler which he uses to get into the mindset of a criminal the team is chasing and determine their patterns of behavior. In the FBI Season 1/FBI: Most Wanted backdoor pilot episode, "Most Wanted", it is revealed that Jess worked alongside Jubal Valentine, the Assistant Special in Charge of the FBI's New York field office on the Haynes Spree Killer case and in the FBI Season 2/FBI: Most Wanted Season 1 crossover episode, "American Dreams", it is also revealed that the two men worked together some time in the past. In the FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 episode, "Shattered", during the hunt for a violent fugitive, Jess is shot in the neck and, despite Barnes and Ortiz' attempts to treat him, dies off-screen from his wounds, devastating the team and his family. He is later replaced by FBI Special Agent Remy Scott who becomes the Fugitive Task Force's new leader.
Kellan Lutz as Kenny Crosby, (seasons 1–3),[10] FBI Special Agent and ex-Army Intelligence officer. Following the departure of FBI Special Agent Clinton Skye who also served as the team's sharpshooter, Crosby becomes the team's newest sharpshooter/sniper. After being shot and left badly wounded during the FBI Season 3 premiere episode, "All That Glitters", having assisted New York field agents Maggie Bell and OA Zidan on a case, Crosby survives and returns home to Oklahoma to begin a long process of recovery. FBI Special Agent Kristin Gaines, an agent assigned to the FBI's Miami field office replaces him.
Roxy Sternberg as Sheryll Barnes, FBI Special Agent and second in command of the Fugitive Task Force. She is also a former Detective with the New York Police Department and is the wife of Charlotte Gaines, a lawyer as well as the mother of their children, a girl named Anais and a boy named Theo. In the FBI: Most Wanted Season 4 episode, "Taxman", it is revealed that Barnes has been a member of the Fugitive Task Force for ten years, making her the longest-serving member of the team.
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Hana Gibson, FBI Special Agent and Intelligence Analyst for the Team. She is also the team's hacker, often providing them with information they need on their latest case.
Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye (seasons 1–2), FBI Special Agent and LaCroix's brother-in-law. He is also the team's sniper/sharpshooter, providing them with cover in the event of a hostage situation and also has a Juris Doctor degree. He later leaves the team to go work on a case concerning public corruption which involves the FBI Director recruiting agents who have Juris Doctor degrees. Following Clinton's departure, fellow FBI agent Kenny Crosby, FBI Special Agent Ivan Ortiz and later FBI Special Agent Ray Cannon become the team's new sharpshooters.
YaYa Gosselin as Tali LaCroix (seasons 2–3;[11] recurring season 1), daughter of Jess LaCroix and his wife, Angelyne and niece of Clinton Skye. Her full name is Natalia "Tali" Skye LaCroix. In the FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 episode, "Incendiary", she leaves her father's home to go attend "Beersheba Springs", a full-time equestrian academy/boarding school located in Canada which will also see her living close to her grandparents.
Miguel Gomez as Ivan Ortiz (seasons 2–3), an FBI agent originally from Los Angeles and who worked with the FBI's counter-terrorism unit in Washington D.C. before he became a member of the Fugitive Task Force. Prior to joining the FBI, Ortiz also worked as a Gang officer for the LAPD. Following the departure of FBI agent Kenny Crosby, Ortiz becomes the team's sniper. He later departs the team in the FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 episode, "Inheritance", having gotten some time off to care for his sick father in LA. FBI team leader Remy Scott later reveals during the FBI: Most Wanted Season 4 episode, "Taxman" that Ortiz has transferred back to Los Angeles on a permanent basis, resulting in him leaving the Fugitive Task Force so that he can continue looking after his father while also working as an FBI agent.[12][13]
Alexa Davalos as Kristin Gaines (seasons 3–4), A former Office of Naval Intelligence officer and FBI Special Agent formerly with the Miami Field Office. She is the ex-wife of Nick Vargas and mother of their two children, Jack and Ingrid. After originally assisting the team on a case concerning a sex trafficking ring that was seen during the FBI Season 4 premiere episode, "All That Glitters", Kristin officially joins the team in the FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 episode, "Patriots", replacing Kenny Crosby who had returned to his native Oklahoma to recover from wounds sustained in the same episode.[14] It is revealed that Gaines transferred to Denver to be near her children who had recently moved to Colorado.[15]
Dylan McDermott as Remy Scott (season 3–present), FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Jess's replacement as Team Leader. He is the son of Betsy Scott and the brother of Claire and Mikey Scott.[16]
Edwin Hodge as Ray Cannon (season 4–present), FBI Special Agent and former NOPD cop as well as a New Orleans native who later became a junior detective as well as the newest member of the Fugitive Task Force as well as the team's sharpshooter/sniper. Cannon later attended Quantico and graduated at the top of his class. He also worked at the FBI's Violent Crimes division in Albany prior to joining the Fugitive Task Force. He is also the son of Ray Cannon Sr, a retired FBI agent, Cannon deciding to follow in his father's footsteps.[17]
Shantel VanSanten as Nina Chase (season 5; guest season 4) an FBI Special Agent who temporarily fills in for Maggie after she is exposed to sarin gas in the line of duty. She is also an undercover agent and as of FBI Season 5, is in a relationship with fellow FBI agent Stuart Scola and mother of their son, Douglas. Once Maggie returned to the team, Nina transferred to White Collar crimes division of the FBI and later transferred to the Fugitive Task Force, replacing Gaines.[15]
Recurring
Lorne Cardinal as Nelson Skye (seasons 1–2), father of Clinton Skye, father-in-law of Jess LaCroix and grandfather of Tali LaCroix.
Irene Bedard as Marilou Skye (seasons 1–2), mother of Clinton Skye, mother-in-law of Jess LaCroix and grandmother of Tali LaCroix.
Amy Carlson as Jackie Ward (season 2), veteran bounty hunter.[18]
Terry O'Quinn as Byron LaCroix (seasons 2–3), father of Jess LaCroix and grandfather of Tali LaCroix.[18]
Jen Landon as Sarah Allen (seasons 2–3),[19] Jess's girlfriend.
Matt Mercurio as George Kouka (season 3), half-brother of Hana Gibson
Notable guest stars
Henry Thomas as Dr. Justin Brock, Foot and Ankle Specialist (in "Dopesick").
Joshua Malina as Paul Hayden, FBI Counterintelligence Agent (in "Silkworm").
Chris Tardio as Mike Fitts, FBI Special Agent In Charge of the Indian Country Crime Unit (in "The Line").
On January 29, 2019, it was announced that CBS had commissioned a backdoor pilot with an attached series commitment for a potential spin-off series titled FBI: Most Wanted with the episode to air in the latter part of the first season. The series will focus on the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the most notorious criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list. According to Dick Wolf, the spin-off is set to launch a series of interconnected shows similar to that both of Wolf's Chicago and Law & Order franchises on NBC.[25] On May 9, 2019, CBS announced that FBI: Most Wanted had been ordered to series.[26] A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere as a mid-season replacement in the winter-spring of 2020.[27] The series premiered on January 7, 2020. On March 13, 2020, it was announced that Universal Television has suspended the production due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States. They were filming episode 15, directed by Lexi Alexander.[28] On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 17, 2020.[2][3] On August 28, 2020, it was announced that showrunner René Balcer would be leaving the series and David Hudgins would be taking over for the second season.[29]
On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that the series was renewed for a third season,[4] which premiered on September 21, 2021.[5]
On May 9, 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fourth and fifth season.[6] The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2022.[7] The fifth season premiered on February 13, 2024.[8]
Release
Marketing
On May 15, 2019, CBS released the first official trailer for the series.[30]
Broadcast
The show airs on Tuesday nights in Canada on Global and airs three hours ahead of CBS broadcast.
The show airs on Friday nights at 10pm on Sky Witness in the United Kingdom.
^The eleventh episode of the first season as well as the season premiere and the ninth episode of the third season aired outside of their regular timeslot, at Tuesday 9:00p.m.
