With its conclusion after four seasons on CBS this May, FBI: International — canceled by the network along with fellow mothership spinoff FBI: Most Wanted back in early March — co-creator Derek Haas is opening up about the company’s decision to ax the series.
Speaking to TVLine, Haas said, “I was so sad to hear about the cancellation because I loved [Chicago P.D. star] Jesse Soffer [International‘s new lead] as Wes on the show and really thought it was a dynamic cast addition in Season 4.”
He added of his thoughts on the matter: “I have no insight into why it was canceled. I love [CBS Entertainment President] Amy [Reisenbach] and [EVP of current programming and daytime programming] Eric [Kim] over at CBS, plus all my good friends at Wolf [Entertainment], and trust their instincts. So they must’ve had reasons that had nothing to do with the quality of the show.”
While speaking to press in early May, Reisenbach gave shoutouts to ratings successes for the platform, which included Most Wanted, International and Queen Latifah-led The Equalizer, also not renewed by the net for the following year.
“It’s not easy to end shows and we had a lot of options this year,” she said. “The schedule is really full and so we always have to look at all of our shows, look at the aggregate information, the creative of where they are in their life cycle, what the finances look like, what the ratings are, and then we make those tough decisions.”
The decision thus leaves behind FBI, renewed through the 2026-27 broadcast season. On the docket is also new offshoot tentatively titled CIA, featuring Lucifer alum Tom Ellis. That series, written by Dick Wolf and Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins, follows two unlikely partners: a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (Ellis) and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law.
“We love working with Dick Wolf and we’re so excited to bring CIA onto the schedule,” Reisenbach said of the new drama at the time. “We have to be fiscally responsible and ultimately, those deals and the shows just weren’t penciling out for us from an economic perspective. But we want to be in the business with Dick. We’re excited to launch a new two-hour block next season.”
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