An era has ended on CBS in the spring 2025 TV schedule with the series finale of FBI: Most Wanted. As the first spinoff of FBI, the hit drama proved that the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe could carve out a multi-show corner on network despite One Chicago and Law & Order airing on NBC. Unfortunately, the seemingly solid audience size for Most Wanted wasn’t enough to earn a Season 7, and the show ended with its Season 6 finale doubling as a series finale.
On the plus side, the main characters all got happy endings, and showrunner David Hudgins explained why… and I think anybody who also watched FBI: International might agree that Most Wanted‘s direction was a lot more satisfying.
What Happened In FBI: Most Wanted’s Series Finale
The Fugitive Task Force wrapped up their final case with time to spare in the series finale, called “The Circle Game” and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription. Thwarting the domestic terror attack was no small feat, but the part of the episode that I think will leave fans the happiest was the final dinner at Remy’s restaurant, which was full of nice endings and new beginnings to add the promised sense of “closure” to the series.
I can’t do justice to how sweet it was to see the stars in their final moments as these characters, so I do recommend watching or rewatching the episode for the full effect, but David Hudgins – who co-wrote the finale as well as serving as showrunner – and Co. really stuck the landing without any bitter to the sweetness.
Yes, Remy was leaving his job with the FBI, but not because he was being ousted or had been injured or crossed a line. He was retiring, to focus his time on Abby as the love of his life and establishing their restaurant together.
Hana is getting back together with Ethan, whose return to NYC, ongoing recovery, and possession of one of the sweetest dogs in the Wolf Entertainment franchise mean that her future is bright as well.
Ray is expecting a baby, having revealed Cora’s pregnancy earlier in the episode. I was personally thrilled to see that everybody considering the bun in the over to be Ray and Cora’s second child. Family has been such a strong theme in Ray’s story over the years, and it would have felt wrong if Most Wanted tried to pass Caleb off as a stepson who Ray doesn’t count as his own in the finale. (Seriously, I would have watched many more episodes of Cannon family storylines, ideally with that X-Files vet on board.)
Nina was credited for being an “absolutely terrifying” driver, with Remy sharing how proud he was to have poached her from Jubal of on FBI, on which Shantel VanSanten frequently appeared before joining Most Wanted.
And Barnes, who has had a special place in my heart going back to when she was the first FBI: Most Wanted cast member I had the chance to interview, decided to stay in New York. Unbeknownst to the return of the team, she and Remy had arranged a transition of him out as leader of the Task Force so that she could take his place. While I of course could have understood if Barnes took the D.C. job to be closer to her kids, I’ve also been interested in seeing her leading her own team.
Everybody lived, everybody was on good terms, and the future was as bright for everybody as it has ever been on FBI: Most Wanted. What more could anybody have hoped for out of a show that was so shockingly cancelled earlier this year? Fortunately, I had the chance to get some context for showrunner David Hudgins on the happy ending decisions.
What Showrunner David Hudgins Told CinemaBlend
When I had the opportunity to pose some questions to the showrunner, I had to ask: why did the FBI: Most Wanted team conclude the show with happy endings all around despite being one of the darkest procedurals on network television? David Hudgins explained:
While we were disappointed to see the show go, I wanted a proper goodbye and to end on a note of hope instead of despair.
“Hope instead of despair” may not have been the overall message of FBI: Most Wanted as the agents regularly faced the worst of the worst criminals on a weekly basis, but it was a rewarding way to wrap up the stories. In fact, the cast sold the sentiment of the characters’ final dinner together so well that I could only hope it was also the last scene that they filmed together. Hudgins confirmed as much, saying this of the meal at The Muster Room:
Yes, it was the last thing we shot. And very emotional.
Is it any wonder that filming that dinner as their last scene together was “very emotional” for everybody involved? That sequence really made FBI: Most Wanted stick the landing as a standout series finale, as far as I’m concerned.
But why did Barnes decide to not only stay on the Fugitive Task Force instead of taking the desk job in Washington D.C., but also step up as Remy’s replacement?
The showrunner had a straightforward explanation for the character – who has felt like second-in-command on the Task Force going back to the days when Jess was the leader – making her decision:
Because in her heart of hearts she knew she would always be happiest being ‘boots on the ground’ and taking bad guys off the street.
All in all, with so much thought going into these characters’ stories, were there specific plans for Season 7 if Most Wanted had been renewed for the 2025-2026 TV season like FBI was? That was never the case, as the showrunner explained:
We never got that far because news of the cancellation came so early. But there were many more stories to tell.
Alas, those “many more stories” will never be told unless David Hudgins incorporates them into CIA, which premieres in the fall as FBI‘s partner in primetime. The more I think about “The Circle Game” after it aired on May 20, however, the happier I am that it got more closure than FBI: International.
Why FBI: International’s Finale Didn’t Work
The majority of FBI: International actually took place in Japan rather than Budapest or anywhere else in Europe, which likely would have meant the full Fly Team traveling together. Instead, Wes was flying solo from the rest of the team, and instead partnered with a Japanese detective by the name of Reiko Isokawa to take down a serial killer.
And if it had been a normal weekly episode of FBI: International or even just a season finale, I would have been totally fine with it closing out the spring season. Wes going to meet his teenage sister was a nice way to conclude his story in Season 4, and the episode wrapping without revealing if Vo or Raines got the promotion could have been an acceptable cliffhanger… if only International was coming back for Season 5.
As it was, the team was almost entirely separate for the series finale, and we didn’t get answers to many questions. This wasn’t the same as if International had been cancelled on the explosive cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, but I had assumed that the show was cancelled with enough time to spare in Season 4 to craft a fitting finale like what Most Wanted did. It’s hard to be mad about how International wrapped with so little fanfare, but I am pretty underwhelmed.
But hey, I’ll always have the happy endings from FBI: Most Wanted!
You can stream the series finale of FBI: Most Wanted as well as the more disappointing series finale of FBI: International with a Paramount+ subscription now. All seven seasons of FBI are also available on the streamer.
More to come…
