Station 19 fans are undoubtedly still heartbroken over the series’ 2024 cancellation, but it’s been admittedly nice to see those former firefighters finding new gigs. For instance, Jason George has returned to Grey’s Anatomy, while Danielle Savre signed on for Found Season 2. Now Jay Hayden is also set to return to the small screen. It was announced in September that the actor, who Station 19 fans know better as Travis Montgomery, has joined CBS’ FBI: International, and as he prepares to make his debut on the 2024 TV schedule, Hayden admitted that going back on set triggered some tough memories.
Luckily for Station 19 fans, we don’t have to wait until the FBI shows’ 2025 return dates to see Jay Hayden again, as he will appear in the December 10 episode of FBI: International. The transition from firefighter to federal agent wasn’t necessarily an easy one, Hayden told Deadline, and apparently one of the hardest parts was not having his bestie Barrett Doss there with him. He said:
It was really, really hard. I’m used to seeing Barrett’s face every single time I walk into work. It’s different because these actors have their way of working, like how they prepare and get into character. Then also, your scene partner. Barrett is family and I know what she’s going to do next before she even does it. I know what she thinks about the thing that I just said. Then suddenly, she wasn’t there anymore and that was a hard adjustment for me. I missed her. Sometimes, she would say something, and I’m like, ‘I’m just gonna improvise a little line of dialog, Ba Bam,’ but Barrett’s not there to hit the ball back. We had an extreme shorthand. It was an adjustment. You know, I really miss them. I miss them very much.
It both warms my heart and breaks it to hear that Jay Hayden and Barrett Doss were as close in real life as their Station 19 characters. Doss played Vic Hughes, and the series finale’s flash forward really did right by the series’ best friendship when Travis chose to follow Vic to Washington, D.C.
Not having Barrett Doss as a scene partner wasn’t the only thing that threw Jay Hayden for a loop on the set of FBI: International, though. Despite his new show and Station 19 both being dramas, the tone of the ABC series was decidedly more comedic, and Hayden said:
I’m not going to lie to you, there were a couple of times on the first few days of filming I would do a bit in the scene, and they would be like, ‘Cut! Jay, that’s too funny. We can’t be laughing out loud. Also, your character’s supposed to be kind of a jerk. You’re not charming.’ And I was like, ‘Right, yes, okay.’ I had to remind myself this is a different genre. Like, in this scene, we’re trying to talk about the case and really get the audience invested in the criminal and the case. So if I’m being funny, it’s distracting and not part of this show. It was a change but a fun one.
So I guess this won’t be just Travis Montgomery in a different uniform. Jay Hayden is set to recur on FBI: International’s fourth season as Agent Tyler Booth. He’s reportedly intelligent and charismatic, as well as “kind of a jerk,” as indicated above.
His first appearance will be in “Keen as a Bean,” which will follow Tyler after he flips the ex-wife of one of the FBI’s Most Wanted and enlists the Fly Team to help lure the criminal out of Russia. Tune in to see Jay Hayden in his new role — even without Barrett Doss — as FBI: International airs at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, December 10, on CBS. You can also stream Station 19 in its entirety with a Hulu subscription.
