Fans of police procedurals may already be well acquainted with the long-running FBI franchise, which kicked off in 2018. Since its meteoric rise, a number of spin-off and in-universe sister shows have been developed, including Most Wanted, International and the upcoming CIA. While each of these shows have performed well in their own right over the years, the CBS network appears to be scaling back its lineup of original programming, with a flurry of cancellations being handed down.
Fans of the FBI spin-off projects quickly took to social media to advocate for their favorite iterations of the IP, though it appears that their calls may have fallen on deaf ears. If you’re a massive fan of FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, be sure to read ahead, as we’ll be discussing the exact state of affairs as it pertains to these spin-offs, and what we can expect from the FBI franchise moving forward.
Are the ‘FBI’ spin-offs cancelled?
Unfortunately for loyal viewers, CBS has officially cancelled both of the FBI spin-off shows. The announcement, which was initially made back in March, has shocked fans and employees of the programs alike, as both International and Most Wanted are currently in the midst of airing new episodes. The most recent seasons of each began airing weekly episodes back in October 2024. Both shows tout 22-episode seasons, with installments playing out each Tuesday night until the respective finales on May 20. This means that there are still several brand new outings scheduled to air in the coming weeks, so at least fans won’t be left entirely high and dry. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the writers of either show would have had enough warning to provide definitive endings for either show in advance. For now, all we can do is hope that neither series ends on a major cliffhanger.
FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted both routinely bring in solid viewership numbers for the network, so the cancellation announcement has left some viewers quite baffled. While it’s just speculation, some television insiders have purported that this move was made to maximize ratings for the original FBI series, as well as the upcoming spin-off show FBI: CIA. The latter series is said to have received a straight-to-season order, meaning the network holds a great deal of confidence in the project’s success. If this is truly the case, it could mean that the characters we’ve come to know and love could migrate from International and Most Wanted back into the fray via the other two shows.
Can ‘International’ and ‘Most Wanted’ be saved?
Like many series’ cancelled before their time, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted still technically hold the possibility of returning in some capacity. The two shows are joint owned by Universal TV and Wolf Entertainment, so the option is available for the producers to shop the shows around to competing networks or streaming services. Unfortunately, the continued collaboration of Universal and Wolf on the initial FBI series and the upcoming CIA spin-off likely means that they’ll be doubling down on CBS’ decision. If fans champion the return of either spin-off loud enough, there may be a shot at bringing fan-favorite characters into the mix, though it’s unlikely that either International or Most Wanted receive full-scale revivals at the network.
The most likely course of action would be for CBS to migrate both series’ backlog of episodes onto the Peacock streaming platform, where fans can binge all six seasons of Most Wanted and all four seasons of International to their hearts’ content. The original FBI has received a three-year order, with guaranteed new seasons through the 2026-2027 network schedule. This means that we’re actually more likely to see new and improved spin-offs spring to life than a return to the cancelled ones, if anything. Either way, all of the shows within the expanded FBI universe are connected, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that our favorite characters from International and Most Wanted return for additional projects.
