The Dick Wolf TV universe is made up of nine connected shows across three nights on two networks in the 2024 TV schedule, and the full slate is still going strong. Jeremy Sisto, who has played Jubal Valentine over more than 100 episodes of FBI after spending years on Law & Order, has more experience than most in the Wolf world. The actor spoke with CinemaBlend about how FBI and Law & Order taught him to avoid going "too far" as an actor.
Jeremy Sisto opened up ahead of the Season 6 case that was tragically personal for Jubal, as well as Jubal learning not to blame himself for everything in the aftermath. I took the opportunity to ask the star about his feelings on FBI hitting the 100-episode milestone, and he shared that for him, "it's great to be on something that means something to the fans." After I noted that the FBIs on CBS are a reliable way to spend an action-packed Tuesday night, he agreed and said:
Exactly, exactly. That's the big thing that Dick and Rick [Eid] and Peter [Jankowski] and all the people in the Dick Wolf world are just intent on. They're really upset if they feel they've let down, and it's an instinct that a lot of the creators of these shows have. They can see it and [go], 'Oh, that's a moment that's going to pull the audience out of the thing.' As actors, you've learned that as well.
Considering that the current Wolf Entertainment universe goes back to 1990 with the series premiere of Law & Order, it's no surprise that a strong instinct has developed about what works and what doesn't. The shows of CBS' FBI franchise as well as NBC's Law & Order and One Chicago aren't all identical, but they've found similar levels of success.
And as an actor, Jeremy Sisto spent three full seasons and more than sixty episodes on Law & Order as Detective Cyrus Lupo before the show was cancelled in 2010. By the time L&O was revived by NBC in 2022, Sisto had already been starring on FBI as Jubal Valentine for years. He went on, sharing what he has learned by this point in his career about not going too far:
There's things that obviously I could do on Six Feet Under that if I did on a show like this [laughs] the record would screech to a halt in houses all over America. Dinner forks would be dropped and it would just ruin the flow of what we have. I've learned over the six years [of FBI] and three years on Law and Order, I have my own set of instincts on what is too far in regards to character.
FBI may get pretty gruesome from time to time, but what happens on the CBS drama is a far cry from what could happen on Six Feet Under on HBO! According to Jeremy Sisto, his time on FBI and Law & Order helped him develop the right instincts for how far to take his character without going too far and ruining the flow.
Sisto went on to explain what it means to him personally to be part of the FBI universe:
These shows provide...a sense of stability to people. Maybe that's overstating it, but in the terms of entertainment and in terms of after a long day of work, to be able to look forward to Tuesday nights. You have three hours of these shows that feel like family, and I think that quality [makes] it nice to be a part of. That's not the goal of a lot of shows these days. I also love those shows as well, but there's something unique, especially these days, about being on a show like this.
Fortunately, all three FBI shows are back for the foreseeable future after the prolonged hiatus due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. You can find Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine in new episodes of FBI Season 6 on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, followed by FBI: International at 9 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET, all on CBS.
If you're interested in revisiting earlier episodes, all three series are currently available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
