FBI Franchise Shakeup: Two Spinoffs Axed, One Still Standing, and a New Player on the Horizon

 

FBI Franchise Shakeup: Two Spinoffs Axed, One Still Standing, and a New Player on the Horizon

March 6, 2025

If you’re a fan of CBS’s FBI franchise, buckle up—because the news this week is a rollercoaster. As of Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the network dropped a bombshell: FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International have been canceled, leaving the original FBI as the last show standing from Dick Wolf’s Tuesday night trifecta. But don’t put away your badges just yet—there’s a new spinoff, FBI: CIA, still in the works, and it might just shake things up even more.

Let’s break it down. FBI: Most Wanted, now in its sixth season, has been tracking down the baddest of the bad since its 2020 premiere. Led by Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, the show’s Fugitive Task Force has kept us on the edge of our seats—most recently with Special Agent Hana Gibson (Keisha Castle-Hughes) getting tangled in a hostage situation with her boyfriend Ethan in an upcoming episode airing March 11. Meanwhile, FBI: International, in its fourth season, has been globe-trotting with the Fly Team, now under the command of Jesse Lee Soffer’s Wes Mitchell after Luke Kleintank’s exit last year. Both shows have had solid runs—six seasons for Most Wanted, four for International—and they’ve consistently pulled in decent numbers, with Most Wanted averaging 6.5 million viewers and International at 6.53 million this season, per Variety and TVLine.

So why the axe? CBS hasn’t spilled the official tea, but the chatter points to a mix of declining ratings (both shows are down 10% from last season) and some serious budget trimming. Last year, FBI and Most Wanted saw cuts to their main casts’ episode guarantees, a sign the network was tightening the purse strings. Add to that an overcrowded schedule—CBS just renewed nine shows two weeks ago, including NCIS: Origins and Fire Country—and something had to give. Fans on X are fuming, with posts calling it “devastating” and “a shame,” especially since Most Wanted has been winning its 10 p.m. slot every episode this season.

The silver lining? The cancellations came early enough that both shows have time to wrap up their stories. With several episodes left to film, the writers can tweak scripts to deliver satisfying finales this spring. Keisha Castle-Hughes told Us Weekly, “It’s been a true privilege to play Hana Gibson over six seasons,” while International fans are already speculating if Soffer might pop up elsewhere—maybe even a 9-1-1 crossover? (Hey, a girl can dream.)

Meanwhile, FBI itself is safe and sound. Renewed last April for three more seasons, it’s locked in through Season 9, keeping the mothership humming on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. And then there’s FBI: CIA, the new kid on the block. Announced in January, this spinoff will follow a strait-laced FBI agent and a street-smart CIA operative tackling domestic terrorism in New York City. A backdoor pilot is rumored to air during FBI’s current seventh season, and some think the cancellations are paving the way for this cheaper-to-produce newbie. Fans aren’t sold, though—one X post griped, “Did anyone even ask for an FBI: CIA?”

What’s next? For now, we’ve got Most Wanted hitting its 100th episode on March 11—bittersweet timing—and International digging into a conspiracy in Italy with its upcoming “A Winged Lion for Protection” episode. The casts are gutted, the fans are vocal, and CBS is betting big on FBI: CIA to fill the void. Will it work? Or will Tuesday nights feel a little emptier without Remy, Hana, Wes, and the gang? Sound off in the comments—I’m dying to hear your take on this franchise shakeup!