FBI: Most Wanted is currently on an indefinite hiatus due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, with no news on how Season 5 will pick up on the reveals about Remy Scott in the Season 4 finale. There is at least one big change on the way, however, as yet another cast member is reportedly leaving the FBI spinoff. Alexa Davalos is leaving as Agent Kristin Gaines.
FBI: Most Wanted Is Losing Kristin Gaines
If the news comes as a shocker, there's a good reason! While Deadline reports that Alexa Davalos was told by a producer after wrapping on Season 4 that she would not be brought back as a series regular in Season 5, the final episode of the fourth season did not set up a departure. That was not the case when Miguel Gomez was written out of FBI: Most Wanted as Agent Ivan Ortiz, as the Season 3 finale explained his absence before the news broke that Gomez wouldn't be returning.
The outlet also reports that the circumstances of Alexa Davalos being written out of Most Wanted were amicable, even though the actress may not have known that her exit was coming. She joined the show back in early Season 3, when there was a fresh vacancy on the task force. Davalos' reportedly amicable exit gives me some hope that the show will bring the actress back for at least an episode or two to wrap up Gaines' story and give her the on-screen goodbyes that some other departed characters didn't get.
FBI: Most Wanted's Many Series Regular Departures
There have been a lot of departures among the series regulars over the years! The first to exit was Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye, although that wasn't confirmed until months after his final episode aired in early Season 2. Kellan Lutz was next, although Most Wanted successfully kept his departure a secret until his character was shot in the first three-part crossover with FBI and FBI: International. While Kenny Crosby survived, the gunshot wound was a means for Lutz to be written out by the end of the Season 3 premiere.
The next series regular to depart was also the biggest, as Julian McMahon was the lead of FBI: Most Wanted for the first two and a half seasons. His decision to leave ultimately led to the CBS drama killing Jess LaCroix off in the second half of Season 3, with showrunner David Hudgins explaining the decision. Next out the door after McMahon was Miguel Gomez, whose exit was confirmed in the break between Seasons 3 and 4.
At this point, the only two remaining series regulars from the beginning of the show are Roxy Sternberg and Keisha Castle-Hughes, who respectively play Agent Sheryll Barnes and Agent Hana Gibson. The rest of the cast is filled out by Dylan McDermott, who joined FBI: Most Wanted as SSA Remy Scott fresh off of Law & Order: Organized Crime to replace Julian McMahon, and Chicago Fire alum Edwin Hodge as Agent Ray Cannon.
It remains to be seen if FBI: Most Wanted will bring in a new series regular to replace Alexa Davalos. The writers strike presumably means no news on that front for some time, but I find myself wondering if the team will just be Barnes, Hana, Remy, and Ray for Season 5.
The fifth season will presumably be shortened due to the strikes, and fans will be extremely lucky if the show returns before the end of the 2023 TV schedule. The six Dick Wolf shows over on NBC, which are set in the same universe as the FBIs, are also set to feature less of their series regulars in the 2023-2024 TV season. I won't rule out Most Wanted just proceeding with a smaller task force. For now, we can just wait for news and revisit episodes streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
