Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of CBS' FBI: International Season 4, called "Keen as a Bean" and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
FBI: International made another new addition to the Fly Team in the latest episode, with Station 19 alum Jay Hayden joining the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe as Agent Tyler Booth. The character's first episode was a trial by fire, as his attempt to catch a Most Wanted criminal became personal when the bad guy targeted his daughter all the way back in the U.S., and fans got a glimpse of the "baggage" teased by Jesse Lee Soffer.
Hayden spoke with CinemaBlend about coming to the world of CBS' FBIs in the 2024 TV schedule, including how much we'll see of him in Season 4 and that final virtual golf scene between Tyler and Wes.
How Much Fans Should Expect Of Tyler Booth
While it initially seemed like Tyler Booth might head back to the U.S. once the case of the week was closed, the FBI Deputy Director offered him 90 days on the Fly Team with Wes until he figured out what he wants next in his career. The two friends had a bit of back and forth of Wes trying to make sure that Tyler knew who was going to be calling the shots in Budapest, but Wes said that he was "absolutely" cool with Tyler sticking around.
Jay Hayden was expected to recur on FBI: International Season 4 when his casting was announced, but there was no guarantee that he'd be sticking around into the start of the 2025 TV schedule. So, after the actor explained why he wanted to join International so soon after Station 19 was cancelled, I asked how much of Tyler Booth we might be seeing as Season 4 continues. He teased:
You know, you're gonna see him for definitely some episodes. A bunch. How about this? A bunch of episodes and maybe a bunch more after that. Who knows? Maybe I'll swing back through. But that's all I can say!
"A bunch" may not be an exact figure for his episode count in Season 4, but it certainly sounds like fans can count on plenty of Agent Tyler Booth for the foreseeable future... after the January return from winter break, anyway. At the very least, it's quite safe to say that next week's fall finale won't be the last that we see of him. Hayden went on to share that the character was pitched to him as somebody who needed to stick around, saying:
When we discussed this character and what he was going to do on the show, it was always part of the plan to have him come out, he's chasing this guy, he used to be partners with Wes. There's some history there, not all of it positive. And then we were going to get Tyler to have to stay for a little while, which is good, because then it allows for some conflict within the team maybe, because he doesn't totally follow the rules. He might not be the best influence on Wes Mitchell.
Wes himself wasn't big on following all the Fly Team rules when he first came on board, to the point that Jesse Lee Soffer described his new character as a "constant headache" for Smitty in the beginning. Now, Jay Hayden's character is the one whose tendency to bend the rules could cause some conflict. The Station 19 alum went on:
And then there's always the whole [question] like, does Tyler know that Wes is in charge? Wes is in charge of this team. Tyler, if you're on the team, then you are going to follow the rules, right? And so that will come into play too. As cases down the road become more personal for Wes, what will Tyler have to say about that? Because you have the Smitty character, who's more of the angel on his shoulder, if you could think of her that way, and then so is Tyler the devil?
If Smitty is the angel and Tyler is the devil, then Wes gave into some devilish temptation in "Keen as a Bean" when he went against Smitty's opinion that they needed to keep looping in local authorities. Still, it should be interesting to see if and how that changes as Season 4 continues, and the promo for the fall finale reveals that a member of the Fly Team could be seriously injured.
Before getting into what could be quite dire next week, let's look back at Tyler and Wes playing virtual golf together to close the episode!
Getting Goofy With Jesse Lee Soffer
Jay Hayden and Jesse Lee Soffer are good friends in real life, going all the way back to the pre-Station 19 and pre-Chicago P.D. years of their careers. Both actors shared their excitement about getting to work together, and that final scene of Tyler and Wes playing virtual golf allowed their characters' friendship to show as well.
When I spoke with the Fly Team newcomer, though, I had to. ask: was the banter between the characters a product of Wes and Tyler or Jesse and Jay? Hayden explained:
It was written very well. It was written in there, and they had to pull us back quite a bit. I mean, that golf scene just turned into a party. [laughs] And then they had to be like, 'Guys, please. Please, guys, let's bring it back to the script.' A lot of that scene is very close to our real dynamic, our real friendship, except that Jesse's way better at golf than me in real life... And it really chaps Jesse. It really burns him that my character is better than his character in the show, because he can't stand it.
As it turns out, Jesse Lee Soffer probably didn't need to flex his acting muscles all that much when Wes was in disbelief that Tyler's drive beat his on the golf system! I pitched the idea that the fatal flaw in their relationship is really just golf-related, and Hayden responded:
Exactly! [laughs] Exactly. You see Tyler outdrive him, and you're like, 'Well, that friendship's fractured forever.'
Jokes aside, I think we can count on Tyler and Wes having much bigger issues to deal with than who's better at golf. Soffer had previously teased that Hayden's character would be part of an arc with the return of Greg Czonka, a.k.a. the man responsible for Wes' partner's death back in the Season 4 premiere. The promo for the next episodes sheds a bit more light on what the Fly Team is facing:
Be sure to tune in to CBS on Tuesday, December 17 at 9 p.m. ET for the fall finale of FBI: International, featuring Jay Hayden and apparently Cameron Vo getting shot! As always, International airs between FBI at 8 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find every episode so far of the most current seasons streaming via Paramount+ now.
