‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Shocker: Show Boss Reveals Meaning Behind Barnes’ Wild Finale Twist!

As FBI: Most Wanted prepared to say goodbye following an untimely cancellation, the show started crafting endings for some of its characters. A lot of focus was given on Barnes’ (Roxy Sternberg) next pursuits in the final episodes of the season. It was strongly insinuated that she would leave the Fugitive Task Force for a desk job so that she could be close to her children. However, in the series finale, it was revealed that she would take over the Fugitive Task Force following Remy Scott’s (Dylan McDermott) retirement. It was a surprising development, but it was done to keep the character consistent. “After her divorce, the question for Barnes in Season 6 was, who am I?” showrunner David Hudgins told TV Insider after the show’s final episode. “In the end, she decided that she could never do a desk job; she is happiest when being a ‘cop’ and taking bad guys off the street. Sometimes the best thing a parent can do for the kids is to love themselves first,” he added.

The cancellation forced the show’s creative team to start thinking of the end, but had that not happened, the Season 6 finale would have looked very different. “Remy would have re-upped for another year as Task Force leader and the cliffhanger in the season finale would have been a big ‘white whale’ fugitive who gets away — only to be captured in the following season,” the showrunner shared. Ray (Edwin Hodge) was revealed to be expecting a child with his wife Cora (Caroline Harris). That would still have happened in the original ending, same as Hana’s (Keisha Castle-Hughes) personal developments with Ethan (Michael Raymond-James). However, Nina’s (Shantel VanSanten) story with her father and sister would have been different. Hudgins explained:

“I loved the idea that Nina had already forgiven him — as a survival mechanism — so it was definitely a move on her father’s side. Perhaps we would have played out the tension more had the series not ended.”

What’s Next for ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Showrunner David Hudgins?

The exploits of the Fugitive Task Force might be over, but Hudgins has not left the FBI universe. He is an executive producer on the upcoming FBI spin-off, CIA, starring Tom Ellis. “He is charming, smart, demanding, unpredictable, and funny. And he also operates in a very different world than traditional law enforcement,” Hudgins said of the show’s main character. “It will be fun to watch Tom take over this character and make him his own – he’s such a gifted actor.” CIA airs this Fall alongside the flagship series, which moves to a new night.a