The three shows of CBS’ FBI franchise are going strong with their very early renewals for the 2023-2024 TV season, and the upcoming global crossover promises to deliver even higher stakes than usual. FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International are joining forces for a three-hour global event that involves everything from an abduction in Rome to undercover work on home turf to fighting to thwart a terrorist plot before the worst can happen in New York City.
The three-parter has important roles for Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto) and Stuart Scola (John Boyd) in particular, and the two FBI series regulars spoke with CinemaBlend about what’s on the way to “push the limits” of the franchise, and much more!
How The New Crossover Compares To The First
The crossover on April 4 – with each episode called “Imminent Threat” in different parts – technically isn’t the first time that a case has spanned all three shows in the franchise, as Most Wanted and FBI joined forces to launch International for its series premiere back in 2021. That doesn’t mean “Imminent Threat” is in any way the kind of case that the FBIs have covered in the past, and John Boyd explained how the new three-parter compares to the first:
It’s just on a much bigger scale. I think there's more crossing over. They really pulled out all the stops. I think we're capable of doing something now that we weren't capable of for International's launch. We've had three successful shows for as long as we have and with what we're able to pull off and coordinate and the experience that we have, I think it's just a more realized world for these shows and we're able to just push the limits.
Pushing the limits for the “Imminent Threat” global event will mean different things for the different characters, all in the face of a growing terror threat in New York City. For Scola, that means an undercover mission to get answers; for Jubal, that means traveling to Rome to work with Scott Forrester and the International Fly Team. Jeremy Sisto shared his thoughts on how the first crossover compares to this event, pointing out a perk of the newest show being on for a couple of years by this point:
The characters have had some time to develop. That [first] one was more about introducing that concept, and this one more about showing how these shows really work together and how it really is one big team that is connected. I mean, if we could make one of these every week I'm sure we would… It should feel like you're watching exactly what the FBI is: a really well-structured, well-run organization that is assessing threats throughout the world and the danger they may have on American lives. It feels like this is how the show is supposed to be, even when it's not. The feeling of this, the result of this – from the audience standpoint of how they see these shows, I think it will bleed into their enjoyment of watching all of the shows in the future.
The FBIs can’t very well deliver a three-part crossover event on a weekly basis, with Sisto going on to point out that the scheduling alone would be a huge challenge. Still, based on the actor’s comments, it sounds like viewers might well leave the three-parter as bigger fans of the shows than they were at the start.
Jubal Has 'Frustrations' With The Fly Team
The crossover will actually switch up the order of the shows, with FBI: International starting the night and leading into FBI rather than the other way around as per usual. Jeremy Sisto and Shantel VanSanten (who plays Agent Nina Chase, a.k.a. Maggie’s temporary replacement) will guest star, with Jubal and Nina joining Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank) and the Fly Team’s investigation into an abduction in Rome. While a Forrester/Jubal team-up is certainly exciting, Sisto previewed that his character will run into some frustrations with how the International team operates when he and Nina cross the ocean:
Their main concern is getting ahead of this possible threat, and he's used to very much getting the access that is available to the FBI here in the States. In his own office, he's got members of 50 different organizations that are all there working with him, helping him, giving him access to everything they know. And now suddenly he's in another world where the relationship is different, and so he definitely comes upon some frustrations that Scott Forrester is more accustomed to dealing with. There's some conflict there about how hard you can push, what the boundaries are and how far you can stretch them. That adds for some nice conflict to get these characters down the road in their connection to each other.
Compared to Jubal and Co. in the U.S. on FBI, the Fly Team has to play by a lot more rules to operate in Europe with the cooperation of local governments. Normally, Jubal’s challenges in investigations are more likely to be in following Isobel’s directions and/or battling his own demons, as when he fell off the wagon earlier in Season 5. But with sky-high stakes and a terror threat to his home city, can he compromise?
Scola Has Undercover Struggles
Speaking of a terror threat back in NYC, Scola will also be surrounded by people who he doesn’t regularly work with, although in very different circumstances than Jubal and Nina joining the International Fly Team. He’ll be working undercover to try and stop the terror threat on American soil. John Boyd weighed in on how his FBI character is handling the case without the usual kind of backup that he can count on when not undercover:
When we first meet up with Scola, he's struggling. He's undercover working, trying to uncover these guys… and to stop these [threats]. At this point when we catch up with him, just the stress of the job and the frustration of not getting somewhere is really taking a toll on him. You know, Nina is pregnant with his baby and at the same time she's with Jubal and the Fly Team in Rome because an American businessman went missing there. There's just a lot going on. When we meet him, his head is there. He's talking with her a little bit, but he's really struggling with getting anywhere in the case. It's a tough case for him. We definitely see him like we haven't seen him before, which was interesting to play.
An undercover operation with a terror threat to New York would be stressful enough without the Nina concerns! Of course, it sounds like Scola would be in much more immediate danger on his mission than Nina and Jubal with the Fly Team in Rome… if everything goes according to plan, anyway! How often do plans go off without a hitch for the Fly Team?
The Agents Are Worried About Nina
On the whole, it sounds like there’s a lot for the agents of all three shows to be worried about, even when Most Wanted comes into play with Remy and Co. to pitch in. The two FBI stars addressed one particular person who their characters are both worried about: Nina. Even though the agent (who was previously considering a move to L.A. to raise her baby) is going to be working with some elite agents, Jeremy Sisto explained that Jubal’s going to be more “concerned” than usual about having her along on the Rome mission:
She is pregnant with Scola's child, and so I think Jubal finds himself being concerned about her safety, just concerned about her in a way that he isn't usually. He isn't super accustomed to being out running around with guns anyway, so I think he feels an added responsibility in some ways, which is definitely not what she's asking for and shouldn't be what he's thinking about. [laughs] It's not his responsibility, but he's a father and it's a big part of his identity. Despite him feeling like he shouldn't, he does have an extra layer of concern for her. But she's a great agent.
Jubal isn’t usually a field agent like Maggie, OA, Tiff, and of course Scola, so it sounds like he’ll be out of his element in more than one way working with the Fly Team in Rome. It should be interesting to see how Nina reacts to some extra concern for her safety; after all, she was a field agent, and – as Jeremy Sisto said – she’s “a great agent.”
And Jubal definitely isn’t the only character worried about the pregnant Nina working this case! When asked if Scola will have her on his mind or just be 100% focused on his undercover work, John Boyd shared:
That's always on his mind. What's so interesting about playing this character once he's venturing into the world of parenting and love is that becoming a parent is going to affect every decision that you make in your life. And that's always there under the surface, and Scola absolutely trusts Jubal and gives Nina the dignity of her own choices as an agent. But when someone you love is carrying your child, you think about them at work, especially when it's difficult.
While fans will have to wait until the crossover kicks off to see exactly what all of this means for the agents across the FBI franchise, it seems safe to say that the case will be plenty “difficult” for Scola! All signs point towards a case that will require all hands on deck, which is bad news for the heroes of FBI, Most Wanted, and International but pretty great news for fans looking forward to an intense TV event. Take a look at the promo for a taste of what's to come when the three teams of heroes join forces:
Tune in to CBS on Tuesday, April 4 starting at 8 p.m. ET for the three-hour global crossover event, with FBI: International at 8 p.m., FBI at 9 p.m., and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. If you want to revisit earlier episodes of the three shows (including the crossover that launched International), you can find them streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
