The three scripted FBI shows haven't returned to CBS so far in the 2023 TV schedule, but the network is airing the FBI True docuseries. The project is a unique take on the true crime genre, as it retells cases from FBI history through conversations between real-life agents and primary evidence. Executive producers Craig Turk and Anne Beagan (who is a retired agent herself) spoke with CinemaBlend about what sets this series apart from other documentaries in the genre.
CBS is airing episodes of FBI True back-to-back, which started with the harrowing "Boy in the Bunker" true story as the network TV premiere. When I spoke with the two executive producers, I noted that true crime is a popular genre and asked what FBI True offers that other docuseries don't. Craig Turk, who also co-created FBI for CBS to kick off a successful scripted franchise, explained:
FBI True is unique because it's agents talking to agents. There's no filter, no politics. We've found that what we call 'Elbows on the bar with the grit left in' is the best way to get to what in the FBI they call the ground truth. What really happened and what it really felt like. We're trying to tell people [to] step into an FBI agent's shoes, to see what they saw and to feel what they felt. The dynamic that we've been able to establish with these agent-to-agent conversations and real footage that people haven't seen before and other kinds of video that's just never been made public and never been put together in this form, I think has been sort of an incredible secret sauce for us.
Episodes of FBI True don't feature agents talking to a camera as part of a standard documentary Q&A format, but delve back into infamous cases via conversation between fellow former agents. The result is a first-person point-of-view that brings viewers into the cases in a more immersive way than in other docuseries.
For her part, Anne Beagan was a Special Agent before becoming a television producer, working as a FBI special advisor to shows including FBI and FBI: Most Wanted. She shared her unique perspective on how FBI True is telling these true stories:
If I could just continue on with that to Craig's point, the way agents speak to one another is very unique. We've seen documentaries where agents have participated before and talked about their cases, but it's never been to another agent. You really get that inside baseball feel that you're leaning in and listening to two agents having a conversation at a bar, which was the genesis of the whole thing. And the other thing, Laura, that I think is really unique is our 30-minute format. We kind of drop you right into the story. I like to say there's no appetizer, we just give you an entree, and it's the best entree you've ever had.
Although some cases are so complex and expansive that they run as two-parters, FBI True produces episodes that tell the FBI agents' stories within a half hour. That's not a factor that can be found in all the best true crime series that debuted prior to FBI True's arrival on CBS in early October.
Fortunately, if you missed the "Boy in the Bunker" cases that brought FBI True to CBS, you can find the two-parter streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. The docuseries actually originally premiered on the streaming service, but Craig Turk confirmed to CinemaBlend that they're "shooting some brand new episodes for CBS" that will "go straight to CBS." So, whether or not you've already checked out FBI True, some never-before-seen content is on the way to network television.
New episodes of FBI True will air on Tuesdays starting at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, although the episode on the Golden State Killer timed to the five-year anniversary of his arrest will air at 10:28 p.m. ET on October 17. That places it in what is usually FBI: Most Wanted's time slot during a normal TV season, and what could be more fitting for a new perspective on the infamous Golden State Killer case? You can also revisit FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International streaming via Paramount+.
