The Best Thing About ‘FBI’ Makes It Different From Every Other Dick Wolf Show

The FBI universe and its casts are well-loved. FBI debuted in 2018. FBI: Most Wanted debuted in 2020. Then FBI: International came along in 2021. Unfortunately, turnover among casts, especially in procedurals (and especially in Dick Wolf procedurals), is something that audiences must deal with in their favorite shows. The odds of losing a favorite character are likely if a show lasts past the second season. The fact that FBI is going into its seventh season yet still has five of its original — or near original — characters is almost unheard of, and this is also what makes the show special.

The ‘FBI’ Cast Is Like Family

A key to whether a show will succeed is how the audience relates and reacts to the characters. The longer a character stays around, the more invested we become. The characters become family to the fans. That connection makes the suspense of what will happen to those characters more delicious. It keeps the audience coming back week after week. Becoming attached to a character means that you care about them and want them to thrive and, in the case of a Dck Wolf show, surviving the action. Of all the shows that Wolf has created, FBI does that better than the others.

When the show first appeared, it brought with it Special Agents Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym) and Omar Adom ‘OA’ Zidan (Zeeko Zaki), and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto). In Season 2, Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille (Alana de la Garza) and Special Agent Stuart Scola (John Boyd) joined the team. And after all this time, the gang is still together, working like a well-oiled machine. They feel like a real team.

The length of time they have been working together has allowed them to develop an understanding of and respect for each other that is rare. There is a camaraderie between them that the other shows struggle to find. This has allowed the audience to bond with them and to feel like they truly know these characters, their lives, and their histories.

In Season 1, it was revealed that Maggie lost her husband in a car accident. We watched her grieve. Each time she looked at his picture or watched a video of him, you could feel her pain, and it was hard not to sympathize with her. Six seasons later, after following her on her journey of grief, it’s also easy to root for her to find love again. In Season 3, Jubal’s son, Tyler, was diagnosed with leukemia. Viewers didn’t just watch Jubal worry about and fear for his son, they went through it with him. They were just as determined to see Tyler beat cancer.

Other Procedurals Should Follow in ‘FBI’s Footsteps

In contrast, FBI: International is not faring as well. Only in its fourth season, just two of the original four cast members remain. Heida Reed, who played Special Agent Jamie Kellett, left in the first episode of Season 3. Luke Kleintank, who played Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester, left in Episode 11 of that same season. With how frequently these characters come and go, investing any emotional attachment to them can be hard. What’s the point of caring about this character if they’re just going to be gone by the end of the season?

Similar issues plague other shows around the Dick Wolf hemisphere. Shows like Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Med have a much higher turnover rate. SVU is the longest-running show, now in Season 26, yet only two of its original cast remain. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has been with the show since day one while Fin Tutola (Ice-T) joined in Season 2. However, the surrounding cast has changed often over the years. While a few have stayed for several seasons, most of them are gone after just three or four.

Over on Chicago Med, the youngest show in the One Chicago universe, only three of its original characters remain. Now in Season 10, only Med Director Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), Psychiatrist Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), and Charge Nurse Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) are still in the cast. Every other original cast member left by Season 8.

The revolving door cast leads to a disconnect with viewers. Before a character can make a mark, they leave and a new one takes their place. The team doesn’t get to form that cohesiveness that truly makes the show feel whole. Bringing in new blood is not a bad thing. But having that new character come into a well-established team is better. It makes it easier for the characters and the audience to adjust. It’s easy to love the drama, but not when it comes at the cost of losing beloved characters — it’s clear FBI has learned that.