FBI hit the ground running with Season 7 in the 2024 TV schedule this fall, and the first order of business was setting up the exit of Tiff after news broke over the summer that Katherine Renee Kane would not be returning as a series regular. The seventh season so far has honored how much Tiff meant to Scola as her former partner in particular, as the search is on for her replacement. Now, the actor who had been cast as a series regular to replace her has already been cut before she even debuted, and the move reminded me of what showrunner Mike Weiss told me ahead of the premiere.
FBI's Newest Series Regular Is Already Exiting
Lisette Olivera of National Treasure: Edge of History (available streaming now with a Disney+ subscription) was announced as FBI's newest series regular in Season 7 on the same day that Katherine Renee Kane's exit as Tiff was confirmed. At the time, it was reported that her character would be Syd, an agent from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit who would be leaving her desk job to come into the field and partner with Scola.
Now, Deadline states that Olivera won't be sticking around FBI in the long run after all, and her character will instead move on after just a handful of episodes. The actress' exit reportedly is due to how her character fit into the show rather than any issue with her performance. At 25 years old, it's said that the actress may not have fit the character's status as a seasoned special agent.
The actress' finished episodes are set to air all the same, and Syd will be central to the next episode on November 12. Called "Doubted," the episode will involve Sydney looking to Isobel and the team for help in tracking down a serial offender after her sister is the victim of attempted kidnapping and sexual assault. It remains to be seen how many episode Olivera will actually appear in as the search for a new permanent partner for Scola continues. For his part, John Boyd addressed how his character wasn't prepared to lose Tiff when she exited to start Season 7.
What Mike Weiss Told Us About Taking Over FBI
A big change took place behind the scenes for FBI Season 7, with Death and Other Details' vet Mike Weiss stepping up as showrunner after Law & Order's Rick Eid stepped down from the top job at the end of Season 6. Weiss wrote the premiere himself, including nods to spy thrillers like The Bourne Identity while also penning Tiff's exit. (You can revisit the premiere streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.)
When I spoke with Mike Weiss, he noted that "it feels like I've been here [on FBI] for years" and then shared how he prepared to take on CBS' super successful show that was already six seasons and more than 100 episodes in, saying:
I think the hardest thing to do is to come onto a show that has already told a lot of great stories, obviously, and figure out what new ideas and energies you're going to bring. I hired some new writers, people who I love working with and trust completely. TV writing is a combination of, you want to entertain the fans, but you've got to entertain yourselves first.
Entertaining viewers may be a tall order for a team of writers if they're not able to be engaged in their own stories! Some fresh blood can be a good thing in a show as it runs longer and longer, particularly with a core cast of regular characters who have been around from the start. For FBI, that core is comprised of Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Alana de la Garza, and Jeremy Sisto, with John Boyd joining the cast in Season 2. Mike Weiss continued:
It's like on the plane when they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then on the children seated next to you. If you're not having fun with the story, the audience is not going to have fun. That's really the game that we play in the writers room. What's the coolest possible idea we can build this week? And let's just keep it moving.
It seems that the effort to "keep it moving" includes trying out a new character like Lisette Olivera's Syd and then moving on when the choice turns out not to work. For now, fans can look forward to seeing Olivera in the episodes that she did film, and continue wondering what kind of partner will have what it takes to replace Tiff for Scola.
FBI is taking a week off this fall due to CBS' coverage of the 2024 U.S. elections on November 5, but will return on Tuesday, November 12 at 8 p.m. ET with Lisette Olivera's first big episode as Syd for what will be a short run as a series regular. As always, FBI opens CBS' big night of primetime before FBI: International (which is sending a surprising agent undercover) at 9 p.m. ET and then FBI: Most Wanted in the wake of Nina reaching her breaking point at 10 p.m. ET.
