Weeks after the surprising cancellation of FBI: International, one of the co-creators has revealed their feelings about CBS’s decision to end the series. Since the show ended on a cliffhanger, it was clear that no one was expecting the show not to make a comeback for a season 5.
Derek Haas told TVLine he was just as sad as the fans about the reason CBS decided not to continue the series, which followed FBI agents who went to various countries to solve crimes. He also praised the addition of Chicago P.D. actor Jesse Soffer as Wesley, who Haas called a “dynamic cast addition” to the series.
He said that he has plenty of respect for everyone at CBS involved in the show, as well as those with Dick Wolf Entertainment and said he “trust[ed] their instincs.” However, he had no reason why it was cancelled and did not think the quality of the show played a factor in the decision to cancel the series.
Derek Haas admitted he did not know why FBI: International was cancelled
The series drew in around 6.5 total million viewers for season 4 and also held 8th place in the ranking for the CBS shows, tying with fellow franchise spin-off Most Wanted. That series was also cancelled, although its series finale had a slightly better ending than International did.
International left open the question of whether Cameron Vo (Vinessa Vidotto) or Andre Raines (Carter Redwood) got a big promotion. Many of the other characters also got sidelined in terms of final arcs for each of them. There had been hopes the shows could be picked up elsewhere, but it does not look likely this will happen at this point.
Amy Reisenback, the CBS Entertainment chief, said when it came to their decision-making regarding the two shows, they had to be “fiscally responsible” in figuring out which shows could continue.
Even though production on the show was cheaper since it took place in Budapest, Hungary, Deadline had previously revealed a possible reason was due to “difficult negotiations” when it came to whether to renew the show was likely to be renewed. This had been an issue between the two studios in the past when it came to renewals.
Overall, this still doesn’t completely satisfy those who didn’t want to see the show to end, especially if one of the showrunners has no idea the reason behind the cancellation. However, fans call still watch FBI season 8 when it premieres in fall 2025. That show had a cliffhanger in regards to whether a long-time character would live or die.
