FBI is an American crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf and Craig Turk that airs on CBS, where it premiered on September 25, 2018. The series is produced by CBS Studios and Universal Television, with Wolf, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski, and Turk serving as executive producers.
The series features an ensemble cast including Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, Ebonée Noel, Sela Ward and Alana de la Garza. FBI received a straight-to-series commission for 13 episodes on September 20, 2017. In May 2020, CBS renewed the series for a third season. The third season premiered on November 17, 2020. In March 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season.
Contents
1 Premise
2 Cast
2.1 Main
2.2 Recurring
2.3 Crossover characters
3 Episodes
3.1 Crossovers
4 Production
4.1 Development
4.2 Casting
5 Reception
5.1 Critical response
5.2 Ratings
6 Spin-offs
7 References
8 External links
Premise
The series centers on inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This elite unit brings to bear all their talents, intellect, and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep New York and the country safe. Born into a multi-generational law enforcement family, Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom “O. A.” Zidan, a West Point graduate from Bushwick who spent two years undercover for the DEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI. Overseeing them is Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier, who operates under intense pressure and has undeniable command authority. The team also includes Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the nerve center of the office whose ability to easily relate to and engage with both superiors and subordinates makes him a master motivator. Kristen Chazal is the team’s most valued resource, a brilliant analyst recruited straight out of college who can piece together the big picture faster than anyone. These first-class agents tenaciously investigate cases including terrorism, organized crime, and counterintelligence.
Cast
Main article: List of FBI (TV series) characters
Main
Missy Peregrym as Maggie Bell, FBI special agent and the widow of a Wall Street Journal investigative reporter
Zeeko Zaki as Omar Adom “O. A.” Zidan, FBI special agent and Maggie’s partner, West Point graduate, and retired Army Ranger
Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine, FBI assistant special agent-in-charge (ASAC)
Ebonée Noel as Kristen Chazal (seasons 1–2), an FBI analyst and special agent
Connie Nielsen as Special Agent in Charge Ellen Solberg (“Pilot”), the team’s initial supervisor
Sela Ward as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Dana Mosier (season 1), Solberg’s replacement as the team’s supervisor
Alana de la Garza as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Isobel Castille (guest season 1; season 2–present), Mosier’s replacement as the team’s supervisor
John Boyd as Stuart Scola (season 2–present), FBI special agent and Kristen’s field partner
Katherine Renee Turner as Tiffany Wallace (season 3), a former NYPD officer and White Collar division agent who replaces Kristen after she moves to Dallas, Texas.
Recurring
Derek Hedlund as Special Agent JT, an FBI agent frequently working in the field with OA and Maggie
James Chen as Ian Lim, an FBI analyst
Thomas Phillip O’Neil as Dr. Neil Mosbach, FBI Medical Examiner
Rodney Richardson as Ray Stapleton, an FBI forensic technician (season 1)
Nina Lisandrello as Eve Nettles, an FBI forensic technician (season 1)
Taylor Anthony Miller as Kelly Moran, an FBI analyst (season 2–present)
Roshawn Franklin as Trevor Hobbs, an FBI intelligence analyst (season 2–present)
Vedette Lim as Elise Taylor, an FBI intelligence analyst (season 2–present)
Catherine Haena Kim as Emily Ryder, an FBI agent who temporarily fills in for Kristen when she is injured in the line of duty (season 2)
Josh Segarra as Special Agent Nestor Vertiz, an FBI Agent who worked an undercover operation with Maggie who he is dating (season 3)
Crossover characters
Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix, FBI Supervisory Special Agent (FBI: Most Wanted)
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Hana Gibson, FBI Analyst (FBI: Most Wanted)
Kellan Lutz as Ken Crosby, FBI Special Agent (FBI: Most Wanted)
Roxy Sternberg as Sheryll Barnes, FBI Special Agent and second in command (FBI: Most Wanted)
Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye (season 1), FBI Special Agent (FBI: Most Wanted)
YaYa Gosselin as Tali Lacroix, daughter of Jess LaCroix (FBI: Most Wanted)
Tracy Spiridakos as Detective Hailey Upton (season 2), a member of the Intelligence Unit for the Chicago Police Department (Chicago P.D.)
Episodes
Main article: List of FBI episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired Rank Viewers
(millions)
First aired Last aired
1 22 September 25, 2018 May 14, 2019 11 12.37
2 19 September 24, 2019 March 31, 2020 6 12.55
3 17 November 17, 2020 May 25, 2021 TBA TBA
Crossovers
Crossover between Episode(s) Type Actors crossing over Date aired
Series A Series B
FBI FBI: Most Wanted “Most Wanted”
(FBI 1.18) Backdoor Pilot Appearing in Series A: Julian McMahon, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Nathaniel Arcand, Yaya Gosselin April 2, 2019
Main article: Most Wanted (FBI)
FBI: Most Wanted FBI “Dopesick”
(FBI: Most Wanted 1.01) Guest appearance Appearing in Series A: Alana de la Garza January 7, 2020
FBI: Most Wanted FBI “Caesar”
(FBI: Most Wanted 1.04) Guest appearance Appearing in Series A: Alana de la Garza January 28, 2020
FBI FBI: Most Wanted “American Dreams”
(FBI 2.18)
Reveille
(FBI: Most Wanted 1.09) Two-part crossover Appearing in Series A: Julian McMahon, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Yaya Gosselin
Appearing in Series B: Zeeko Zaki, Ebonée Noel, John Boyd, Alana de la Garza, Jeremy Sisto March 24, 2020
Main article: FBI and FBI: Most Wanted crossover
FBI Chicago P.D. “Emotional Rescue”
(FBI 2.19) Guest appearance Appearing in Series A: Tracy Spiridakos March 31, 2020
Main article: Emotional Rescue (FBI)
FBI: Most Wanted FBI “Deconflict”
(FBI: Most Wanted 2.03) Guest appearance Appearing in Series A: Alana de la Garza December 8, 2020
Production
Development
The origins of the series go back to the Television Critics Association summer 2016 press tour, where Wolf revealed plans for a crime drama series, placed in New York and set in the world of the FBI. Wolf’s original plan was to introduce it on the NBC network as a planned spin-off to his New York crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where it was intended to introduce an FBI agent character, but NBC ultimately did not go through with it and the idea was later put on hold for different reasons. It’s Wolf’s first drama series to launch on a network other than NBC in 15 years. CBS officially picked up to series on September 20, 2017. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios and Universal Television.
On January 25, 2019, during the TCA press tour, FBI was renewed for a second season, which is set to premiere on September 24, 2019. On May 7, 2019, following the renewal it was announced that Milena Govich joined as co-executive producer and director.
On March 12, 2020, Universal Television has suspended the production of the last three episodes of the second season following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on May 6, 2020, CBS announced that it was renewed for a third season which premiered on November 17, 2020. On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that it was renewed the series for a fourth season.
Casting
On March 1, 2018, Zeeko Zaki was cast as Omar Adom. A week later, Jeremy Sisto was cast as Jubal, including Ebonée Noel also cast as Kristin. Before the end of the month, Missy Peregrym had joined the cast as Maggie. The FBI Special Agent in Charge in the first episode (“Pilot”) was Ellen Solberg, played by Connie Nielsen. On May 16, 2018, the day of scheduling the series for fall 2018, Nielsen was announced to have left the series for undisclosed reasons.
On July 13, 2018, Sela Ward was cast in the second episode as Dana Mosier who fulfills a similar role to Connie Nielsen who was in the first episode. During the season finale, it was indicated that Ward would be departing the series after the first season. On July 9, 2019, Alana de la Garza—who played Isobel Castille in a guest appearance in the first season—was promoted to the main cast for the second season; she also recurs on the spin-off series FBI: Most Wanted.
On August 6, 2019, John Boyd was cast as Special Agent Stuart Scola, Kristin’s new partner in the field, in a recurring role with the option to be promoted to regular at a later date. Boyd was promoted to regular on October 7, 2019. On August 28, 2020, Katherine Renee Turner was cast as a series regular for the third season.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 63% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.22 out of 10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Dick Wolf’s new series sports a compelling cast and adrenaline-spiking spectacle, although some viewers may find this retread of the mega-producer’s previous procedural formulas overly familiar.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per season of FBI
Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Viewership
rank Avg. viewers
(millions)
Date Viewers
(millions) Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Tuesday 9:00 p.m. 22 September 25, 2018 10.09 May 14, 2019 8.56 2018–19 11 12.37
2 19 September 24, 2019 8.83 March 31, 2020 10.85 2019–20 6 12.55
3 TBA November 17, 2020 8.21 TBA TBD 2020–21 TBD TBD
Spin-offs
Main article: FBI: Most Wanted
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 Wolf’s Chicago and Law & Order franchises on NBC. Actors who have been cast were reported to be: Julian McMahon, Alana de la Garza, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, and Nathaniel Arcand, as well as Keisha Castle-Hughes. On May 9, 2019, CBS announced that FBI: Most Wanted had been ordered to series. The series, created by Rene Balcer, premiered on January 7, 2020.
On February 18, 2021, it was reported that a third series of the FBI franchise with the working title FBI: International spinoff is in development. On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that the spin-off is moving forward to series.