FBI: Most Wanted has gone through a lot of changes in its third season, ranging from the departure of Kenny Crosby to the death of Jess LaCroix to the arrival of Remy Scott, played by none other than Dylan McDermott. There’s another missing member of the team, but her goodbye wasn’t permanent. Roxy Sternberg stepped away from Most Wanted as Barnes for her maternity leave, and now the actress has revealed how the show got creative to hide her baby bump.
Barnes stepped away from the Fugitive Task Force to take her maternity leave and spend time with her infant son, who was born back in the winter finale (which you can rewatch streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). It was a fitting way to say a (hopefully temporary) goodbye to the character, as the actress stepped away from the show for her real-life maternity leave. As it turns out, Roxy Sternberg was filming into her ninth month, but the Most Wanted team made sure that fans couldn’t tell:
Throwback to working on @MostWantedCBS 9 months pregnant! Big up our amazing photographer Mark Shafer🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/bsJ9RUNqHUMay 4, 2022
Apparently, a prop bulletproof vest strapped at just the right angles can hide even a nine-month baby bump on a woman wearing a brightly-colored shirt! The black pants and black coat don’t hurt with the concealment either, and Roxy Sternberg is wearing a big smile along with the vest to hide her bump in the third image. The fourth photo shows that Most Wanted could make Barnes look the same as always even in a different outfit.
The actress hasn’t announced whether she has given birth just yet, but her pregnancy announcement on social media revealed that she was expecting a “little friend” arriving in April 2022, and the official FBI: Most Wanted Twitter account responded to her new post with “Congratulations!”
Whether or not she has welcomed a bundle of joy already, the throwback photos are a nice treat for fans who have been missing Barnes ever since she made her big decision to step away in the aftermath of Jess’ death. They two had a unique relationship within the team, so it tracked that Jess dying hit her harder than the others. There is technically no guarantee that Barnes will be back full-time for FBI: Most Wanted Season 4, as no announcement has been made, and none of the FBI shows have yet been renewed.
Still, the three FBI shows are successful enough that I think it’s safe to say that they’ll be back for the 2022-2023 TV season, and Barnes’ conversation with Isobel about her decision to take her maternity leave didn’t feel like a permanent resignation. Besides, the FBI parent series also said goodbye to an actress who had to end the fourth season early due to maternity leave, and Missy Peregrym is expected to be back as Maggie.
For now, you can look forward to the final cases of Season 3 with new episodes of FBI: Most Wanted on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS until the finale on Tuesday, May 24. Be sure to take a look at our full spring TV finale schedule for when the other biggest shows on network television are ending for the season, and our 2022 TV premiere schedule for what series are on the way in the coming weeks and months.
