We have sad news to report for FBI: Most Wanted fans. When the show returns for a fifth season, one character won’t be present. Why is Kristin Gaines leaving FBI: Most Wanted? Keep reading to learn about what happened to Alexa Davalos.
FBI: Most Wanted is CBS’ procedural drama following the personal and professional lives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force, which tracks and captures notorious and dangerous criminals on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The series – which was created by Dick Wolf, the same mind behind the Law & Order and One Chicago franchises – premiered in 2020. FBI: Most Wanted is a spinoff of FBI and FBI: International that also airs on CBS.
Alexa Davalos has portrayed Kristin Gaines since Season 3 of FBI: Most Wanted, after she was cast as a replacement for original cast member Kenny Crosby (Kellan Lutz), who was written off in the Season 3 premiere. Gaines was a former Office of Naval Intelligence officer and FBI Special Agent who was a member of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force. She joined the Most Wanted team when it was led by Jess LaCroix (Julian McMahon), who departed the procedural in Season 3. The team is now headed by Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott).
When Davalos came on board in 2021, McMahon spoke with CinemaBlend about what to expect from Gaines, a newcomer to the team. “Firstly, it’s always great to have a new character come on board, because it just adds an element of the unknown and the element of the exciting, kind of getting to know that character. You as an actor, you’ve got to start to work with somebody differently and understand the nuances of how they like to work and incorporate that into this,” he said of his former castmate.
He continued: “I’ve always said that our family, our team, is a family, right? So, Jess looks at it that way, and so do I, right? So, when you bring in a new character into our show, you’re bringing in a new family member. And we have the character of Kristin Gaines, which is a fantastic character.”
So, why is Kristin Gaines leaving FBI: Most Wanted after two seasons? Plus, was it her choice to depart the successful CBS series or was it the show’s creators? Here’s what we know.
Why is Kristin Gaines leaving FBI: Most Wanted?
Why is Kristin Gaines leaving FBI: Most Wanted? We’re not sure. Deadline reported in August 2023 that Davalos “was informed by a producer on set that she won’t be coming back after filming her last scene from Season 4 several months ago.” Although her exit might have come as a surprise to the actress, multiple sources told our sister site that the conversation – and Davalos’ departure – “were amicable.”
Because of the ongoing actors’ strike at the time of the news, it was unlikely that Davalos would speak publicly about her exit from Most Wanted at the time. Fans learned about the fate of her character when FBI: Most Wanted returned in February 2024, which saw Shantel VanSanten’s Nina Chase, who was previously on FBI, replace Gaines on FBI: Most Wanted.
As for why she left, ypically, cast changeovers occur when creative forces behind the show want to switch things up or when an actor chooses not to renew their contract. Financial reasons could also be a contributing factor of why a major character leaves. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about the Davalos’ surprise exit from FBI: Most Wanted. Before Most Wanted, Davalos starred as Juliana Crain for four seasons of The Man In the High Castle on Amazon Prime Video.
