In April 2024, the series was renewed through its ninth season, ensuring its airing through the 2026–2027 network television schedule. The seventh season premiered on October 15, 2024, and the eighth premiered on October 13, 2025, in a new Monday time slot.[3]
Born into a multi-generational law enforcement family,Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom "O.A." Zidan, aWest Point graduate fromQueens[4] who spent two years undercover for theDEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI. Other members of the office include Special Agent-in-Charge Dana Mosier; Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Jubal Valentine; and Analyst Kristen Chazal. Together, the team of agents investigate cases including terrorism, organized crime, andcounterintelligence.[5]
InSeason 2, Stuart Scola joins the team and is partnered with Kristen, who transitions into field work at the same time. Isobel Castille takes Mosier's place as team supervisor following the latter's retirement.
InSeason 3, Kristen transfers to Dallas, Texas, and is replaced by Tiffany Wallace, a formerNew York Police Department officer andWhite Collar Division Special Agent. Tiffany later departs the bureau and moves to Georgia at the start ofSeason 7 after being burned out due a long-running case from theprevious season.
Sela Ward as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Dana Mosier (season 1), Solberg's replacement as the team's supervisor.[10][11]
Alana de la Garza as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Isobel Castille (season 2–present; guest season 1), Mosier's replacement as the team's supervisor.[12]
John Boyd as Stuart Scola (season 2–present), FBI Special Agent and Kristen's, and later, Tiffany's field partner[13][14] He was a stockbroker prior to joining the FBI.
Katherine Renee Kane as Tiffany Wallace (season 3–6; guest season 7),[15] FBI Special Agent and a former NYPD officer and White Collar Division agent. She is Kristen's replacement.[16]
Lisette Olivera as Sydney "Syd" Ortiz (season 7), a new FBI Special Agent working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit who temporarily replaces Tiffany Wallace as Scola's partner.[17][18]
Juliana Aidén Martinez as Eva Ramos (season 8–present), FBI Special Agent and Scola's new partner after Dani Rhodes's death.[19][20] In her previous field office, she had been in a relationship with a colleague, who turned out to be a member of Forefront.[21]
Thomas Phillip O'Neil as Dr. Neil Mosbach, an FBI Medical Examiner.
Carmen Lamar Gonzalez as Carla Flores, an FBI bomb disposal expert.
Rodney Richardson as Ray Stapleton (season 1), an FBI Forensic Technician.
Nina Lisandrello as Eve Nettles (season 1), an FBI Forensic Technician.
Taylor Anthony Miller as Kelly Moran (season 2–present), an FBI Analyst.
Roshawn Franklin as Trevor Hobbs (seasons 2–6), an FBI Special Agent and an Intelligence Analyst.
Vedette Lim as Elise Taylor (season 2–present), an FBI intelligence analyst.
Catherine Haena Kim as Emily Ryder (season 2), an FBI Special Agent who temporarily fills in for Kristen when she is injured in the line of duty.
Josh Segarra as Nestor Vertiz (season 3), an FBI Supervisory Special Agent who worked on an undercover operation with Maggie and dated her before she ended their relationship in theFBI Season 3 episode, "Uncovered". He is also in charge of the Gang Unit.
David Zayas as Antonio Vargas (seasons 3–4), the most notorious drug lord in the world and leader of the Durango Cartel.
Kathleen Munroe as Rina Trenholm (seasons 3–4), FBI's Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office. After the events of theFBI Season 3 finale episode, "Straight Flush", she becomes the new FBI Assistant Director and also enters into a relationship with FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine. She is shot and left wounded during theFBI Season 4 episode, "Unfinished Business" and even though she survives, she suffers a brain hemorrhage which occurred during a surgery. It is soon revealed that the attack on her was carried out on the orders of drug lord Antonio Vargas, who is seeking revenge against the FBI for the deaths of his wife and young son. Rina later dies off-screen a day prior to theFBI Season 4 episode "Grief", due to her parents, who also had the power of medical attorney over her, opting to have her life support switched off, with Jubal being left devastated by her death.
Piter Marek as Rashid Bashir (season 4), FBI Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism.
Shantel VanSanten as Nina Chase (seasons 4–7), an FBI Special Agent who temporarily fills in for Maggie after she is exposed to sarin gas in the line of duty. She is also an undercover agent and as ofFBI Season 5, is in a relationship with fellow FBI agent Stuart Scola and pregnant with their unborn son. Shortly after the birth of Dougie, Nina transferred to the Fugitive Task Force[22]
Mara Davi (seasons 1–5, 7) as Samantha Kelton, Jubal Valentine's ex-wife.
Emily Alabi as Dani Rhodes (seasons 7–8).[23] Ortiz's replacement as Scola's partner. She dies in the premiere of season 8 after being shot during a rescue mission.
Connie Nielsen as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Ellen Solberg ("Pilot"), the team's initial supervisor.[24]
Billy Burke as Rowan Quinn, an FBI Supervisory Special Agent and undercover trainer who trained OA on undercover assignments. He was also FBI Special Agent Maggie Bell's UC instructor during her time at Quantico.
R. Ward Duffy as John Van Leer, FBI Deputy Director.
Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix (season 1–2,4), FBI SupervisorySpecial Agent (SSA) and Team leader of the Fugitive Task Force (FBI: Most Wanted). Has a history with FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the two having previously worked together.
Kellan Lutz as Kenny Crosby (season 1–2,4), FBI Special Agent in the Fugitive Task Force (FBI: Most Wanted).
Roxy Sternberg as Sheryll Barnes (season 1–2,5), FBI Special Agent and second in command of the Fugitive Task Force (FBI: Most Wanted).
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Hana Gibson (season 1–2,5), FBI Special Agent and Technical Analyst assigned to the Fugitive Task Force (FBI: Most Wanted).
Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye (season 1), FBI Special Agent assigned to the Fugitive Task Force as well as Jess LaCroix's brother in law and the uncle of Tali, Jess's daughter (FBI: Most Wanted).
YaYa Gosselin as Tali Skye LaCroix (season 1–2), the daughter of Jess LaCroix (FBI: Most Wanted).
Tracy Spiridakos asDetective Hailey Upton (season 2), a member of the Intelligence Unit for the Chicago Police Department (Chicago P.D.) who temporarily joins the NY field office for an interagency training program. She is OA's partner while she is on the show due to Maggie being off on an undercover assignment which was written to fit in with Peregrym's maternity leave in season 2.
Heida Reed as Jamie Kellet (season 5), FBI Special Agent and second in command of the FBI's International Fly Team (FBI: International).
Carter Redwood as Andre Raines (season 5), FBI Special Agent and a member of the FBI's International Fly Team (FBI: International).
Vinessa Vidotto as Cameron Vo (season 5), FBI Special Agent and a member of the FBI's International Fly Team (FBI: International).
Dylan McDermott as Remy Scott (season 5), FBI Special Agent and the Supervisory Special Agent/team leader of the Fugitive Task Force (FBI: Most Wanted).
The origins of the series go back to theTelevision Critics Association summer 2016 press tour, where Wolf revealed plans for a crime drama series, placed in New York and set in the world of the FBI. Wolf's original plan was to introduce it on theNBC network as a planned spin-off to his New York crime dramaLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit, where it was intended to introduce an FBI agent character, but NBC ultimately did not go through with it and the idea was later put on hold for different reasons. It's Wolf's first drama series to launch on a network other than NBC in 15 years. CBS officially picked up the series on September 20, 2017. The series is produced byCBS Television Studios andUniversal Television.[33]
On January 25, 2019, during the TCA press tour,FBI was renewed for a second season,[34] which was set to premiere on September 24, 2019.[35] On May 7, 2019, following the renewal it was announced thatMilena Govich joined as co-executive producer and director.[36]
On March 12, 2020, Universal Television suspended the production of the last three episodes of the second season following theCOVID-19 pandemic.[37] However, on May 6, 2020, CBS announced that it was renewed for a third season which premiered on November 17, 2020.[38][39][40] On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that it had renewed the series for a fourth season,[41] which premiered on September 21, 2021.[42]
On May 9, 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fifth and sixth season.[43] The fifth season premiered on September 20, 2022.[44] The sixth season premiered on February 13, 2024.[45] On April 9, 2024, CBS renewed the series for seasons seven through nine.[46] The seventh season premiered on October 15, 2024.[47]
On March 1, 2018,Zeeko Zaki was cast as Omar Adom.[7] A week later,Jeremy Sisto was cast as Jubal,[8] including Ebonée Noel also cast as Kristin.[9] Before the end of the month,Missy Peregrym had joined the cast as Maggie.[6] The FBI Special Agent in Charge in the first episode ("Pilot") was Ellen Solberg, played byConnie Nielsen. On May 16, 2018, the day of scheduling the series for fall 2018, Nielsen was announced to have left the series for undisclosed reasons.[48][49]
On July 13, 2018,Sela Ward was cast in the second episode as Dana Mosier who fulfills a similar role to Connie Nielsen who was in thefirst episode.[10] During the season finale, it was indicated that Ward would be departing the series after the first season.[11] On July 9, 2019,Alana de la Garza—who played Isobel Castille in a guest appearance in the first season—was promoted to the main cast for the second season; she also recurs on the spin-off seriesFBI: Most Wanted.[12]
On August 6, 2019, John Boyd was cast as Special Agent Stuart Scola, Kristin's new partner in the field, in a recurring role with the option to be promoted to regular at a later date.[13] Boyd was promoted to regular on October 7, 2019.[14] On August 28, 2020, Katherine Renee Turner was cast as a series regular for the third season.[16] On April 20, 2022, it was announced thatShantel VanSanten would return as Special Agent Nina Chase in a recurring role, while Peregrym went inactive for her maternity leave.[22] On August 19, 2024,Lisette Olivera joined the cast as a new series regular for the seventh while Kane is set to exit in the seventh season.[17][15] On January 21, 2025, Emily Alabi joined the cast for season seven.[23] On July 14, 2025,Juliana Aidén Martinez was cast as a series regular for the eighth season.[50]
The series premiered onCBS in the United States on September 25, 2018. The first two seasons aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. afterNCIS.[51] AfterNCIS moved to Mondays during the2021–22 U.S. television season, the series moved up to 8:00 p.m. with the launch of its second spin-offFBI: International.[52] The show moved to Mondays at 9:00 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST beginning in fall 2025.[53]
As of November 2025, The show currently airs reruns onIon Television,Pop, andTNT. It entered broadcast syndication debut on September 9, 2024, and onMyNetworkTV airing Saturdays 8:00 pm & 9:00 pm, in the United States. The full series is available onParamount+.[54]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 63% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.22 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Dick Wolf's new series sports a compelling cast and adrenaline-spiking spectacle, although some viewers may find this retread of the mega-producer's previous procedural formulas overly familiar."[55]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[56]
On January 29, 2019, it was announced thatCBS had commissioned a backdoor pilot with an attached series commitment for a potential spin-off series titledFBI: Most Wanted, with the episode to air in the latter part of the first season. The series will focus on the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the most notorious criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list.According toDick Wolf, the spin-off is set to launch a series of interconnected shows similar to Wolf'sChicago andLaw & Order franchises onNBC.[75] Actors who have been cast were reported to be:Julian McMahon,[76]Alana de la Garza,[77]Kellan Lutz,[78]Roxy Sternberg,[79] andNathaniel Arcand,[80] as well asKeisha Castle-Hughes.[81] On May 9, 2019, CBS announced thatFBI: Most Wanted had been ordered to series.[82] The series, created byRené Balcer, premiered on January 7, 2020.
On February 18, 2021, it was reported that a third series of theFBI franchise with the working titleFBI: International spin-off was in development.[83] On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that the spin-off had been ordered to series.[41] On July 8, 2021, it was reported thatLuke Kleintank,Heida Reed and Vinessa Vidotto were set to casts in the spin-off and it premiered in September 2021.[84]
In March 2025 both spin-offs were cancelled at CBS,[85] weeks after the report that another spin-off was in development, which had prompted speculation about the future of the original spinoffs.[86][87][88]
On January 22, 2025, it had been reported the new potential spin-off would be calledFBI: CIA, with the same New York City setting as the original, with a focus on investigating domestic terrorism. According to reports, a possible backdoor pilot, co-written byFBI: Most Wanted showrunnerDavid Hudgins and a former CIA office, with three new characters was expected to air duringFBI'sseventh season in spring 2025.[86][89] Two months later, it was reported that after the proposed backdoor pilot had been repeatedly pushed back toward the end of the season, the series was instead being considered for a straight-to-series pick-up with a title change but without the backdoor pilot launch, and with a new script, as casting was still underway andFBI was nearing the end of production for the season.[90] In April 2025, it was announcedTom Ellis had been cast in one of the leading roles of the series, with the show getting a straight-to-series order for the upcoming season, with Hudgins as showrunner and a first episode set to be directed and produced byEriq La Salle.[91][92]
In May 2025 ahead of theupfronts, a CBS teaser first revealed Ellis' character as a CIA case officer called Hart Hoxton.[93][94][95] The series, now calledCIA, was announced to premiere in fall 2025 in a Monday 10 p.m. time slot after the original.[91][53] At the time, CBS executive Amy Reisenbach commented about the prospect of three shows with acronyms airing after each other that "Marketing will have a lot of fun with it, and so willStephen Colbert."[53] Colbert had mocked the original title of the series onThe Late Show the day after it was announced, mirroring aDeadline Hollywood comparison to theAdult Swim parody seriesNTSF:SD:SUV:..[86][96]
In an interview published at the end of June 2025, Ellis said he had been doing chemistry reads as part of casting for a partner on the show, and confirmed his character would be American.[95] In July 2025, with no further casting announced, it was revealed that the series had been pushed to midseason 2026, withWarren Leight taking over as showrunner from Hudgins.[97] Siobhan Byrne O'Connor is listed as having role as a consulting producer.[98]
Production began in New York City in September 2025 after additional casting announcements.[99][100][101] In November 2025 it was reported thatMichael Michele would be leaving the series several weeks after starting production.[102] La Salle directed the pilot, but was reported to have left the role of executive producer of the series in November 2025.[103] Later that month, it was reported that Leight was departing the series, which would briefly pause production, with Mike Weiss set to take over in addition to his role on the main series.[104] It was announced in November 2025 that the spin-off would premiere on February 23, 2026 in a 10 p.m. Monday timeslot following the original show.[105]
