The intense FBI season 7 finale proves why the CBS procedural has eclipsed all shows in One Chicago and the Law & Order franchise as Dick Wolf’s best series. As someone who regularly watches police procedurals, I’m familiar with Wolf and his franchises. Granted that it’s difficult to not know about Law & Order and it’s iconic theme song, even for those who aren’t ingrained in broadcast television, but between my job and personal affinity to long-running shows, I tend to gravitate towards his shows.
FBI Season 7 Finale Is The Best From All Dick Wolf Show Endings During The 2024-2025 TV Cycle
“A New Day” Is A Brilliant Year-Ender
I am familiar with all three FBI shows on CBS, but I must admit that I am more drawn to the original show after getting into them fairly recently. Despite the spinoffs having higher stakes, considering their finales would be their last, I was more keen on catching what Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) and his team would be up to for their year-ender. FBI season 7, episode 22, “A New Day” is about the New York HQ being infiltrated by moles from the rogue group, Forefront.
The outing opens with Jubal talking to a whistleblower, Agent Kevin Saxton, played by The Big Bang Theory‘s Kevin Sussman. Things become intense quickly, as the meeting is hijacked by two members of the villainous group. Jubal is the only person to survive the attack, resulting in his Director Reynolds (Ben Shenkman) suspecting him of being the mole. Luckily for him, Isobel (Alana de la Garza) steps in to vouch for his loyalty to the agency.
Soon after, the FBI season 7 finale progresses into one of the most exciting procedural episodes of recent years. It features a tragic bombing, a fake death, and the good guys operating in the shadows. Its main action set piece, in particular, is executed brilliantly, with its backdrop being an abandoned New York subway station and the connecting tunnels a reminder of the show’s setting. I have seen all Wolf Entertainment finales for the 2024-2025 TV cycle, and I can confidently say that “A New Day” is the best of the bunch overall.
The FBI, One Chicago, And Law & Order Finales Reflect Their Storytelling For The 2024-2025 TV Cycle
They’re Good Representations Of Their Respective Shows
Ultimately, the FBI season 7 finale is well-balanced in its storytelling focus between personal and professional plots while also highlighting heightened stakes — exactly what I want in a finale. It highlights the camaraderie of Isobel and Jubal’s team, and just when you thought things are all good, it leaves you with a major cliffhanger. Comparing this to the year-enders of the One Chicago shows and Law & Order franchise, “A New Day” is definitely a more solid way to wrap up the year for Wolf’s universe, which has been mired in multiple cast exits in the last few cycles.
Beyond that, there are several issues that stems from some of the bigger creative decisions the writers made in One Chicago’s final Wednesday of the 2024-2025 TV cycle.
Chicago Med season 10, Chicago Fire season 13, and Chicago PD season 12’s respective cappers focus more on personal stakes, resulting in a lackluster procedural aspect offering. Beyond that, there are several issues that stems from some of the bigger creative decisions the writers made in One Chicago’s final Wednesday of the 2024-2025 TV cycle. Surprisingly, while Law & Order used to lean towards cases, opposite of its Wednesday siblings, both SVU and the original’s finales don’t feel like special outings in both aspects, bar some brilliant moments.
Somehow, all these finales are reflections of the rest of One Chicago and Law & Order storytelling throughout the year, and they are a good gauge of quality of the franchises thus far. Interestingly, it appears to also be correlated to viewers’ response to all Wolf Entertainment shows. FBI is the most-watched series in the universe, averaging 8.2 million viewers per week (via TV Line). It is followed by Chicago Fire with 7.87 million, while Law & Order: SVU just missed the top 25 with just 5.69 million.
What Makes FBI Season 7 Better Than One Chicago & Law & Order Shows Despite Being The Youngest Series
FBI Thrives In Both Of Its Personal & Professional Storylines
It’s worth noting that FBI also spurned multiple spinoffs — FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: Most International. Both shows are among the canceled projects of 2025, despite ranking higher in ratings compared to some of its Wolf Entertainment series. The flagship, however, remains steadfast in its run, with the show moving to Monday nights for CBS’ fall 2025 schedule. Eclipsing well-established shows despite being the youngest flagship in the franchise is quite impressive, but that may actually have something to do with its success.
Both One Chicago and the Law & Order franchise have been on the air for over a decade. This means that it has gone through so many changes in the past. For comparison, Elliot Stabler hasn’t even left yet in Law & Order: SVU season 8 — which is FBI‘s upcoming year. While it has gone through several changes in its ensemble, primarily when it comes to the role of the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Offic, the core characters have relatively stayed the same, with Maggie, Jubal, OA, and Scola still in the series.
At this point, only time will tell if FBI is able to sustain this level of storytelling or its current ensemble. For what it’s worth, I’m still enjoying One Chicago and the Law & Order franchise, albeit some grudges with the way some personal stories are handled. That said, FBI is on a different level right now, at least with regard to making the most of its often underestimated format and cast. Things can easily change, given the nature of broadcast television, but as a whole, Wolf Entertainment might want to borrow a page from its youngest flagship in terms of wrapping up a year
