CBS’ FBI Shows Are Making Bold Cast Changes In New Seasons, So What Kind Of Crossover Action Is Coming?

The beginning of the 2024 TV schedule means that fans of CBS’ three FBI shows will soon be able to check back in with their favorite agents after a prolonged hiatus. FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International won’t just get back to business as usual from where the shows left off with their spring 2023 finales, with some cast changes on the way. Now that new details have been released about the winter premieres, it’s worth looking at cast changes on the way and a question I’m asking about crossover action.

FBI Season 6: Complications For Scola

FBI returns to CBS after ending Season 5 with the milestone 100th episode, and the sixth season premiere is called “All the Rage.” According to the episode description from CBS, the plot will kick off after multiple innocent people are killed in a bus explosion by a terrorist organization. That alone sounds like it will need all hands on deck, but Scola has an extra challenge: juggling fatherhood while still delivering at the FBI.

Personally, after the Season 6 finale involved a serious scare about the health of Scola’s baby and Nina in her final stages of pregnancy, I’m glad to learn that FBI isn’t finished exploring that story for him. Actor John Boyd weighed in to CinemaBlend last year about what kind of father he thought Scola would be; now we’ll get to see how FBI approaches the subject.

FBI actually isn’t adding or losing any series regulars (as far as has been announced, anyway), but the cast change on a different show could have an impact on the original show and require more crossovers if the FBI universe is going to make as much sense as possible. And that brings us to…

FBI: Most Wanted Season 5: An FBI Character Joins The Team

FBI: Most Wanted says hello and goodbye to series regulars fairly often, to the point that Roxy Sternberg and Keisha Castle-Hughes are the only remaining cast members from the first season. Alexa Davalos will be the next to leave, as she’s out as Agent Kristin Gaines for the upcoming Season 5. She’ll be replaced by none other than FBI’s Shantel VanSanten as Agent Nina Chase!

While this isn’t a casting choice quite as bold as killing off Jess LaCroix halfway through a season and then casting a Law & Order: Organized Crime star to replace him, making VanSanten a series regular on Most Wanted presumably means that any major appearances on FBI – a.k.a. the show where she started – will be considerably fewer and farther between.

I’m particularly struck by the timing, as FBI’s 100th episode established a permanent tie between Nina and Scola due to their baby, and now it’s possible that they’ll share even less screen time than ever. Perhaps that ties into Scola’s struggles on the original show? Most Wanted agents spend an awful lot of time on the road, after all!

Personally, I’m hoping that the parents being split between shows means a lot more mini crossovers on the way, on par with FBI’s Alana De La Garza popping up on Most Wanted and International from time to time as Isobel Castille. I wouldn’t say no to more of an official two-parter, but some mini crossovers would fit the bill for Nina and Scola.

CBS’ episode description for the Season 5 premiere – called “Above & Beyond” – reveals that the Fugitive Task Force will be headed to Virginia after several deaths due to a deal gone wrong, with new team member Nina in tow. On the personal front, Remy will attempt to connect with the long-lost nephew he discovered and met in the Season 4 finale.

FBI: International: A New Analyst Arrives As Another Agent Leaves

FBI: International also had some cast turnover in the first couple of seasons, but the biggest change in the run of the series so far is on the way in Season 3. Heida Reed is set to depart the hit CBS show in the upcoming third season, although it hasn’t been confirmed if the premiere will be her exit or she’ll stick around a little longer into 2024. Originally, the news that Reed would be leaving made me more nervous than ever about Kellett’s fate in the explosive Season 2 finale cliffhanger.

Fans can at least stop worrying that Kellett will die in the aftermath of the explosion after the first looks at FBI: International Season 3 revealed some survivors, including Heida Reed’s character. So, it still remains to be seen how, when, and why Kellett leaves the Fly Team, but the Season 3 premiere is confirmed to introduce the newest series regular: Batwoman’s Christina Wolfe as Special Agent Amanda Tate.

According to the official description for the Season 3 premiere, called “June,” Amanda Tate is an intel analyst who will join the Fly Team in the wake of the explosion that destroyed their headquarters and allowed their key suspect to escape. The latest addition to the cast seems like a solid agent to join the Fly Team in a time of crisis, although I know I’ll be sad to see Heida Reed leave as a series regular. Fingers crossed that she’ll be able to return as a guest star, like Christiane Paul did after leaving International full-time as Katrin Jaeger!

Will The FBIs Have Another Crossover In 2024?

As much as I enjoyed the epic three-show crossover that pushed the previous limits of the FBI franchise, I’m not expecting a multi-part event any time soon. All three shows are expected to run for just thirteen episodes as a result of the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, and I’m just grateful that even that much of a TV season could be salvaged after all the delays. Plus, there are only so many ways to work the International characters into a case involving FBI and Most Wanted in the U.S., and I definitely am not going to cross my fingers for more than mini crossovers this season.

I always enjoy seeing Isobel pop up on Most Wanted and International, and am adding John Boyd as Scola and Shantel VanSanten as Nina to the list of characters I’d love to see appearing on shows other than their own in the franchise. Would it really be any fun if we saw Scola and/or Nina as parents without also seeing their partners? VanSanten joining Most Wanted makes more crossovers of these two characters a must, in my book.

Whatever happens, the wait is nearly over until we see the agents of all three series back in primetime. You can find the premieres on Tuesday, February 13 with FBI Season 6 at 8 p.m. ET, FBI: International Season 3 at 9 p.m. ET, and FBI: Most Wanted Season 5 at 10 p.m. ET, all on CBS. You can also revisit earlier episodes to refresh your memory ahead of time, with International and Most Wanted streaming via Peacock Premium subscription and FBI via Paramount+ subscription.