FBI: International explained

Creator:	Dick Wolf & Derek Haas
Composer:	Atli Örvarsson
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	3
Num Episodes:	56
List Episodes:	List of FBI: International episodes
Runtime:	43 minutes
Network:	CBS

FBI: International is an American police procedural series that airs on CBS. It is the second spin-off from Dick Wolf's drama FBI and the third series in the FBI franchise. The series follows a team of FBI special agents who investigate crime and terrorism abroad. FBI: International premiered on September 21, 2021, and a full season was ordered in October 2021.

In May 2022, CBS renewed the series for a second and third season. The second season premiered on September 20, 2022. The third season premiered on February 13, 2024, a delay from September 2023 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. For the same reason, there will be just 13 episodes in the third season.^[1] In April 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season which is slated to premiere on October 15, 2024.

Premise

The series follows members of the FBI's international "Fly Team", elite Special Agents headquartered in Budapest who locate and neutralize threats against American interests around the world principally in Europe.^{[2] [3]}

The team is led by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester, a tough and grizzled FBI agent. Under his supervision are FBI Special Agents Jamie Kellett, a career FBI agent and second in command; Andre Raines, a young but highly intelligent agent with expertise in accounting; and Cameron Vo, an interrogation expert who is the newest team member, having formerly been a field agent in the Seattle FBI field office. Assisting the team is Katrin Jaeger, a veteran Europol Agent from Germany who helps the team navigate political and linguistic barriers. At the end of season 1, Jaeger is promoted to oversight of all Europol operations, and Megan "Smitty" Garretson, an old fling of Forrester, is assigned in her place.

At the start of season 3, in the aftermath of an explosion that destroys the Fly Team's headquarters, Special Agent Amanda Tate is assigned to the team as a tech analyst, while Kellett transfers back to the DC Field Office. Forrester later departs the team and the Bureau himself after reuniting and going on the run with his fugitive mother, with Special Agent Wesley "Wes" Mitchell being assigned in his place.

In addition to facing a wide array criminal and terroristic threats, the Fly Team must also contend with the practical and legal challenges of operating in foreign jurisdictions, ranging from uneasy partnerships with foreign law enforcement to restrictions on using firearms.^[4] The show's international flavor is meant to juxtapose it with the vast majority of American police procedural shows, which take place almost exclusively in the United States.^[5]

Cast

• Luke Kleintank as Scott Forrester (seasons 1–3),^[6] an FBI supervisory special agent and head of the International Fly Team.^[7] Near the end of the third season, he leaves the team and the Bureau to reunite with his fugitive mother, with the two disappearing shortly afterwards.
• Heida Reed as Jamie Kellett (seasons 1–3), an FBI special agent who is the team's second in command. She later resigns from the team in the third season premiere, having fulfilled many things on her list, while also revealing she's returning to the United States and joining the Washington, D.C. field office.
• Carter Redwood as Andre Raines, an FBI special agent on the team, with a background in accounting.
• Vinessa Vidotto as Cameron Vo, an FBI special agent; she is a West Point graduate and is the team's newest member (until the addition of special agent Amanda Tate). In season 3, she is made second-in-command of the Fly Team following Kellett's departure.
• Christiane Paul as Katrin Jaeger (season 1; guest season 2), a multilingual Europol agent from Germany who acts as a liaison for the team, until her promotion to the head of Europol at the end of the first season.
• Green as Tank, a black Giant Schnauzer trained in Schutzhund and retired cadaver dog that obeys Scott Forrester's commands.
• Eva-Jane Willis as Megan "Smitty" Garretson (season 2 – present), a Europol agent and old acquaintance of Forrester assigned to replace Jaeger as the team's liaison.
• Christina Wolfe as Amanda Tate (season 3 – present), an FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst brought on to lead the Fly Team's new analyst team.
• Jesse Lee Soffer as Wesley "Wes" Mitchell (season 4), the new supervisory special agent and head of the International Fly Team following Forrester's departure.

Recurring

• Greg Hovanessian as FBI Special Agent Damian Powell (seasons 2–3)
• Sarah Junillon as FBI Intelligence Analyst Claire Armbruster (season 3 – present)
• Stefan Trout as FBI Intelligence Analyst Ernesto Saunders (season 3 – present)
• Eric James Gravolin as FBI Intelligence Analyst Kyle Cartwright (season 3 – present)
• Colin Donnell as Brian Lange, the FBI's liaison to the NSA (season 3)

Crossover characters

• Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine, Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the FBI NYC field office (FBI)
• Zeeko Zaki as Omar Adom "OA" Zidan, an FBI Special Agent from New York (FBI)
• Alana de la Garza as Isobel Castile, Special Agent in Charge in the FBI NYC field office (FBI)
• Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix, an FBI supervisory special agent of the Fugitive Task Force ()
• Missy Peregrym as Margaret "Maggie" Bell, an FBI special agent assigned to New York (FBI)
• R. Ward Duffy as FBI Deputy Director John Van Leer (FBI)
• John Boyd as Stuart Scola, an FBI special agent from New York (FBI)
• Shantel VanSanten as Nina Chase, an FBI special agent (FBI, FBI: Most Wanted)

Production

Development

On January 12, 2020, it was reported that Dick Wolf was having conversations with CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl about launching a second FBI spinoff, following the success of the first spinoff, . Wolf claimed he always envisioned FBI as a franchise, as it offers an "endless trove of stories", while Kahl states "We are always talking to Dick [Wolf] and Dick is always bouncing ideas off of us and I can't rule anything out." It was also reported that development of the proposed spinoff would begin during the 2020–21 television season.^{[8] [9]}

On February 18, 2021, it was announced that a second FBI spinoff titled FBI: International was being developed for the 2021–22 television season. Derek Haas was announced as the series showrunner and one of its executive producers, alongside Wolf, Peter Jankowski, and Arthur Forney. The new series is also likely, to begin with, a backdoor pilot.^[10] On March 24, 2021, CBS officially ordered the series, announcing it would debut in a crossover episode of FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, with Rick Eid also being added as an executive producer.^[11]

FBI: International premiered on September 21, 2021;^[12] a full season was ordered on October 11, 2021.^[13]

On May 9, 2022, CBS renewed the series for a second and third season.^[14] The second season premiered on September 20, 2022.^[15] The third season premiered on February 13, 2024.^[16] On April 9, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season which is scheduled to premiere on October 15, 2024.^{[17] [18]}

Broadcast

The show airs on Tuesday nights in Canada on Global.

Every episode of past seasons is available to stream on Peacock in the United States, while the current season is available to stream on Paramount%2B.

The show airs on Network 10 in Australia, Rai 2 in Italy, TV 2 in Norway, FOX in Portugal and AXN Asia.

FBI: International aired the first episode of season 1 on Sky Witness in the UK on July 22, 2022, at 9 pm with new episodes of FBI: International airing every Thursday at 10 pm, an hour after the main FBI series which airs in the UK on Thursday nights at 9 pm.

Casting

In July 2021, Luke Kleintank, Heida Reed, Vinessa Vidotto, Christiane Paul, and Carter Redwood were cast to star.^{[19] [20]} On July 14, 2022, Paul exited the series with Eva-Jane Willis replacing her as a new character.^[21] On November 29, 2023, Christina Wolfe joined the cast as a new series regular for the series' upcoming third season. On December 7, 2023, it was announced that Heida Reed will leave the show some time during the upcoming third season.^[22] On April 23, 2024, it was announced that Luke Kleintank will leave the show during the third season. The next day, Colin Donnell joined the cast as a guest on third season.^[23] On June 20, 2024, Jesse Lee Soffer joined the cast as a new series regular for the series' upcoming fourth season.^[24]

Episodes

See main article: List of FBI: International episodes.

See also

• – Similar concept focusing on an FBI team that works internationally.

Further reading

• Book: Graff, Garrett M. . Garrett Graff . 2011 . The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror . New York . Little, Brown and Company . 9780316068611 . 696603476. On the real-life international FBI team in Hungary (see pp. 563–564, including note), and the FBI operating internationally in general.

External links

• on Wolf Entertainment
• on CBS

Notes and References

1. Web site: Everything to Know About 'FBI: International' Season 3. Parade. Allie. Nelson. April 9, 2024.
2. Web site: July 16, 2021 . FBI: International will be shot in Hungary . August 12, 2021 . Budapest Reporter . en-US.
3. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . July 22, 2021 . 'FBI: International': Christiane Paul & Carter Redwood to Star in Spinoff Series On CBS . August 12, 2021 . Deadline . en-US.
4. Web site: Laura Hurley . September 19, 2021 . How FBI: International Will Handle Agents Carrying Weapons in Action-Packed First Season, According To The Showrunner . April 20, 2022 . . en.
5. Web site: chrissybobic . September 21, 2021 . 'FBI: International' Offers Another Fictional Look at an Elite Group of Special Agents . April 20, 2022 . Distractify . en-US.
6. Web site: Rice . Lynette . April 23, 2024 . 'FBI International' Surprise: Luke Kleintank Leaving CBS Drama After Three Seasons . April 24, 2024 . Deadline Hollywood . en-US.
7. ViacomCBS Press Express FBI: International . August 12, 2021 . ViacomCBS Press Express . en.
8. Web site: White . Peter . January 12, 2020 . 'FBI' Second Spinoff In Discussions, Could Get Going Next Season . November 5, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
9. Web site: White . Peter . May 19, 2020 . 'FBI': Second Spinoff Still A Consideration At CBS . November 6, 2020 . Deadline Hollywood.
10. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . February 18, 2021 . 'FBI: International' Spinoff In Works At CBS As Franchise's Third Series . February 18, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
11. Web site: Petski . Denise . March 24, 2021 . CBS Renews 'FBI' & 'FBI: Most Wanted', Orders Spinoff Series 'FBI: International' . March 25, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
12. Web site: Pedersen . Erik . July 12, 2021 . CBS Fall Premiere Dates: New 'NCIS', 'CSI', 'FBI' Series Plus Returning Comedies, Dramas & Reality Fare . July 12, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
13. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . October 11, 2021 . 'NCIS: Hawai'i' & 'FBI: International' Get Full-Season Orders At CBS . October 11, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
14. Web site: White . Peter . May 9, 2022 . 'FBI', 'FBI: Most Wanted' & 'FBI: International' Handed Two Season Pick-Ups At CBS . May 9, 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
15. Web site: Schwartz . Ryan . June 23, 2022 . CBS Sets Fall Premiere Dates for FBI, Ghosts, NCIS, Young Sheldon and More . June 23, 2022 . TVLine.
16. Web site: Nellie. Andreeva. CBS Sets 2024 Premiere Dates For Delayed Scripted Series, Confirms ‘Matlock’ & ‘Poppa’s House’ Move To Next Season. Deadline Hollywood. November 13, 2023.
17. Web site: 'FBI' Scores Three-Season Renewal at CBS. The Hollywood Reporter. Rick. Porter. April 9, 2024. April 9, 2024.
18. Web site: CBS Fall Premiere Dates: 'Blue Bloods' Final Episodes, 'FBI' Trio, 'Matlock' Reboot, 'Survivor' & More. Deadline Hollywood. Erik. Pedersen. July 13, 2024. July 13, 2024.
19. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . July 8, 2021 . 'FBI: International': Luke Kleintank, Heida Reed & Vinessa Vidotto To Star In Spinoff Series On CBS . July 8, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
20. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . July 22, 2021 . 'FBI: International': Christiane Paul & Carter Redwood To Star In Spinoff Series On CBS . July 22, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
21. Web site: Cordero . Rosy . July 14, 2022 . 'FBI: International': Christiane Paul Exits CBS Drama Series, Replaced By Eva-Jane Willis . July 14, 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
22. Web site: Mitovich . Matt Webb . December 7, 2023 . FBI: International’s Heida Reed to Exit During Season 3 (Exclusive) . December 8, 2023 . TVLine . en-US.
23. Web site: Petski . Denise . April 24, 2024 . 'FBI: International' Casts Colin Donnell In Final 2 Episodes Of Season 3 Following Luke Kleintank's Exit . April 24, 2024 . . en-US.
24. Web site: Cordero . Rosy . June 20, 2024 . Jesse Lee Soffer Boards 'FBI: International' Following Luke Kleintank's Exit . June 20, 2024 . . en-US.