I know what some of you may be thinking.
Every time I mention FBI: Most Wanted, it’s likely to be in a critical way, which might lead to the question, why am I still watching it?
What can I say? I’m a creature of habit and in most situations I like to see things through.
FBI: ‘Most Wanted’ can’t keep up with other successful CBS dramas
That’s why it’s time for CBS to do everyone a favor and end it.
The show is in its sixth season and has yet to regain the magic and appeal of its first season. After all this time, it’s safe to say it never will.
Not only that, but its ratings weren’t great. CBS dominates the ratings among the Alphabet networks, and it’s the network that’s really launching a decent, full slate of dramas in 2024.
It rebounds well from hits.
Shows like “Matlock” and “Elsbeth” have done well, while others like “Fire Nation” have been consistent and engaging enough to inspire us to binge-watch the show ourselves and spawn spin-offs.
The original FBI is still going strong, and FBI: International is doing better than people thought, because at least the addition of Chicago PD alum Jesse Lee Sofer gives the series a boost.
But FBI: Most Wanted? What are we still doing here?
FBI: ‘Most Wanted’ doesn’t even try to appease viewers
I can tell you what it doesn’t do, which is why it should stick around longer than it does.
The series never recovered from the loss of Julian McMahon. As someone who struggled with late night insomnia for the first time, it only made me lament the tragic passing of Jesse Lacroix more than ever.
I’m not completely unconvinced that FBI: Most Wanted isn’t cursed. I’d certainly like to know what happened to those parts that resulted in such high cast and crew turnover.
But in reality, the revolving door casting completely ruined everything the series could have achieved, and it has been unable to win the favor or trust of viewers ever since.
How does the series expect me to be invested in a character when they disappear tomorrow? They didn’t even get a proper send-off, and they didn’t get any meaningful storytelling to move the plot forward.
No, fan-favorite characters might disappear off-screen between seasons, or just disappear on a random Tuesday and they’ll give us a throwaway line to end it all.
The cast of “FBI: Most Wanted” changes like a person changing underwear, they treat the characters as if they could swap some new dolls for another and we wouldn’t care.
This is why the FBI franchise has a character problem.
FBI: Most Wanted changes focus and tone after doomed first season
FBI: Most Wanted is a “procedural” program.
After the first two seasons, it stopped showing interesting aspects of Jesse Lacroix’s family life (not to mention its truly refreshing Indigenous representation). It then decided to focus on subsequent cases.
Now, FBI: Most Wanted is case-driven first and character-driven second, unless of course you’re Dylan McDermott’s Remy.
Yes, I still have a problem with Remy.
That’s not to say that I don’t like McDermott, or feel like he’d be a great addition to the series, because I’m 100 percent on board with the former and only sway over the other character when I think of it.
My problem is character screen time. Why are there always so many Remys?
Season six tries to tone it down a bit and actually give Hana and Ray some more personal arcs, but at the same time, they tend to have the most “here, damn” storylines in the series.
The show even brought in F.B.I.’s Nina, hoping Chantel VanSanten’s appeal would help the show, and of course, it would be great to see her as Raimi’s second incarnation.
‘Most Wanted”s attempt to revive franchise rings hollow
It’s often read as a last-ditch effort to reconcile how the series has shot itself in the foot over the years.
More often than not, it feels like too little too late, and it would have been much easier to send Nina back to the parent series.
FBI: Most Wanted squandered its audience’s trust in the show at some point in its second season, and with the death of Jesse Lacroix in its third season, it’s definitely going to go sideways.
It’s been on a steady roll ever since, with many people watching the series out of habit and a desire to find their footing. But six seasons later, the show still hasn’t been able to do that.
Initially, the cases themselves were compelling.
“Ghost” features one of the series’ best and boldest storytelling touches on Native American boarding schools and their impact.
It’s also interesting when the show explores grief and trauma when Jesse’s daughter is kidnapped and placed in an ICE detention facility, or when Hana deals with what losing Jesse means after his death.
FBI: Most Wanted Man Never Regained His Mojo, Needs to Exit Gracefully
The first few seasons certainly had no shortage of compelling episodes.
Now, you’ll be lucky enough to encounter some truly gripping stuff, like an episode earlier this season that revealed how trauma can lead to violence.
Today, these cases are often forgotten.
If these cases don’t resonate and it’s hard to reinvest in the characters or become attached, then what’s the point?
Even an FBI crossover wouldn’t give the series the boost it needs, and the possibility that the series could shift to the anthology approach I’m proposing and make bold moves is just a pipe dream.
After six seasons, the show has probably cost more than it’s worth and it’s time to end it.
Maybe FBI: Most Wanted needs to retire gracefully like most of its alumni.
Be honest; is it your top pick among the FBI series, or do you just watch it because it exists?
What are your recent thoughts on FBI: Most Wanted? Am I being too picky?
Watch FBI: Most Wanted online
