Calling all Dick Wolf fans, I know you have heard of the franchise series, “Law & Order,” “Chicago” and now his newest series “FBI.” There is no theme song or introduction of the characters to this series like his previous series, it just pops right on and introduces the main characters at the bottom of the screen.
Wolf made the latter series in 2018, creating “FBI,” “FBI: International” and “FBI: Most Wanted” to make up his third franchise series.
The first series I would like to discuss is “FBI,” which is in its sixth season on CBS. The series stars two of my favorite cast members from the original “Law & Order” series before it was revamped: Alana de la Garza and Jeremy Sisto. De la Garza plays special agent in charge, Isobel Castille, and Sisto plays the assistant special agent in charge, Jubal Valentine. The cast also includes four F.B.I. Special Agents on the team, with Special Agent Maggie Bell, played by Missy Peregrym, leading charge in the field. Her partner Omar Adom “OA” Zidan is played by Zeeko Zaki. John Boyd plays Special Agent Stuart Scola, and Katherine Renee Turner as his partner, Special Agent Tiffany Wallace.
“FBI” takes place in New York City, where agents capture criminals doing crimes like trafficking, drug rings, kidnapping and bombings. The show doesn’t focus on killing the criminals but the agents instead try to stop them and let them have their day in court, even though that is not always the case in real life. (The show really does not focus on the law side of things.)
The next series within the franchise is “FBI: International,” which is in its third season, with seasons one through two available on Peacock. The series takes place in Budapest, Hungary, and follows members led by Luke Kleintank playing the role of Special Agent Scott Forrester. They neutralize threats against American interests around the world, particularly in Europe. His team is made up of Carter Redwood, playing the role of Special Agent Andre Raines; Vinessa Vidotto, playing the role of Special Agent Cameron Vo; Eva-Jane Willis, playing the role of Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson, and Christina Wolfe, playing the role of Special Agent Amanda Tate.
The team pursues criminals who are on the most wanted list as well, much like the third installment, “Most Wanted.” The two series share a similar concept, except this one’s overseas.
The last series would be “FBI: Most Wanted”, which is in its fifth season, with seasons one through four uploaded on Peacock. During season one of the series, Julian McMahon took on the role of F.B.I. Supervisory Special Agent and team leader Jess LaCroix, who only took on the role for three seasons before moving on to other projects. In an article by Deadline, McMahon says he decided to leave the series for other creative pursuits.
Dylan McDermott is the leader of the team, playing the role of Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, who joined the cast in season three to replace LaCroix. Before joining “FBI: Most Wanted,” McDermott was cast on “Law & Order: Organized Crime” as Richard Wheatley, Detective Elliot Stabler’s nemesis. In “Organized Crime,” viewers see how they handle being forced to work together on a case, and how the story of the two played out towards the end of season two, for McDermott to eventually join the cast of “Most Wanted.”
The show also casts Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase, Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson, and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon.
Unlike “FBI” and “FBI: International,” “Most Wanted” focuses on the most wanted criminals around. My favorite cases that they do are cases that involve all three shows to create one big three-hour event. I think these are the best because you get to see how everything plays out instead of being left with cliffhangers and waiting to see what will happen next week.
You can catch all three series on CBS on Tuesday nights following along with this line-up: “FBI” at 8 p.m., “FBI: International” at 9 p.m., and lastly, “FBI: Most Wanted” at 10 p.m.
