| Season Number: | 1 |
| Bgcolor: |
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| Starring: | |
| Num Episodes: | 14 |
| Network: | CBS |
| Episode List: | List of FBI: Most Wanted episodes |
The first season of the American crime drama television series premiered on CBS on January 7, 2020, as a mid-season replacement, and ended on May 5. Only 14 episodes were produced due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It is the first spin-off from Dick Wolf's drama FBI. The series and its characters were introduced during the first-season episode of FBI titled "Most Wanted".
FBI: Most Wanted starred Julian McMahon, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Nathaniel Arcand and follows the work of FBI's New York Fugitive Task Force, which relentlessly tracks and captures the notorious and dangerous criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
The first season of FBI: Most Wanted ranked #17 with an average of 10.20 million viewers.[1]
See also: List of FBI: Most Wanted episodes.
On January 29, 2019, it was announced that CBS had commissioned a backdoor pilot with an attached series commitment for a potential spin-off series titled FBI: Most Wanted with the episode to air in the latter part of the first season. The series will focus on the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the most notorious criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list. According to Dick Wolf, the spin-off is set to launch a series of interconnected shows similar to that both of Wolf's Chicago and Law & Order franchises on NBC.[2] On May 9, 2019, CBS announced that FBI: Most Wanted had been ordered to series.[3] A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere as a mid-season replacement in the winter-spring of 2020.[4] The series premiered on January 7, 2020. On March 13, 2020, it was announced that Universal Television has suspended the production due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States. They were filming episode 15, directed by Lexi Alexander.[5]
The series premiere episode "Dopesick" drew approximately 7.19 million viewers and a 0.8/4 ratings share among adults 18–49. DVR viewership was 3.36 million, totaling 10.55 million. This made one the best debuts for the 2019–20 television season. However, the DVR ratings were down from the sixth season premiere of which occupied the same timeslot for its first ten episodes. The crossover event with flagship series FBI earned 9.49 million viewers, while earning 3.45 million DVR viewers, resulting in a total of 12.94 million. The season finale, "Getaway", was watched by 6.62 million people. For its first season, FBI: Most Wanted was the 17th most-watched new series in total viewership, averaging 10.20 million viewers.[1] It was also the 39th most-seen show in the 18–49 demographic, with a 1.2 rating.