FBI: International is at a turning point, with lead actor Luke Kleintank having announced that he’s leaving the CBS show before the end of its third season. Kleintank told Deadline that he’s chosen to exit the role of Scott Forrester “driven by my unwavering commitment to my family,” and fans have been up in arms ever since. Not only is Scott the head of the Fly Team, but he’s also one of the most popular characters on the show.
And Kleintank’s exit adds to an already rocky time for FBI: International, which saw the show’s female lead Heida Reed depart when her character Jamie Kellett was written off in what a separate Deadline report called a “creative decision.” Kellett and Forrester, as well as the one-time romance between the two, were major parts of what made FBI: International popular. Now with both of them gone, the series risks losing not only what made it stand out but a large portion of its viewership. Especially with the series having been renewed for Season 4, it must add someone who can provide stability and a reason to keep watching. Luckily, it’s found that in Chicago Med alum Colin Donnell.
How Colin Donnell Is Joining FBI: International
What Audiences Know About the Star’s Arrival
Luke Kleintank’s last FBI: International episode will air May 7, 2024 — after which People broke the news that Colin Donnell is being added to the cast. Donnell will appear in the last two episodes of FBI: International Season 3, premiering on May 14 and May 23. No details have been released about the character he’s playing, but the fact that his arrival lines up with Kleintank’s departure has some viewers speculating that Donnell may be International‘s new leading man.
That theory has a fair amount of merit. Bringing actors on in a guest star or recurring capacity before promoting them to series regulars has been a common practice on Wolf Entertainment shows like FBI: International. The Dick Wolf dramas are also well-known for recycling actors in both minor and major roles. Chicago Fire star Daniel Kyri was a guest actor on Chicago Med first, while Chicago Med‘s Brian Tee appeared on Chicago P.D. before playing Dr. Ethan Choi for eight seasons, and FBI: Most Wanted‘s Edwin Hodge recurred on Chicago Fire, to name but three examples. The producers can’t cast just anyone to fill a void as big as the one Luke Kleintank is leaving behind. They need a reliable actor and one that they’re familiar with. Donnell is a known quantity with a proven track record.
Beyond that, Wolf Entertainment knows how incredibly popular he is among their viewer base. Audiences have continued to opine about Colin Donnell leaving Chicago Med, and that happened four seasons ago. It says something that people are still missing his character Dr. Connor Rhodes almost five years later. By bringing Donnell onto FBI: International, Wolf Entertainment can satisfy that group of viewers and also potentially make them into fans of the FBI franchise. Even if Donnell is just a guest star for two episodes, that’s two episodes that more people are going to watch. And there’s an incredible argument to be made for keeping him on in Season 4, because Donnell has everything that can hold FBI: International together during this volatile transition period.
Colin Donnell’s Chicago Med Performance Bodes Well for FBI
What FBI: International Fans Can Learn From Connor Rhodes
The Dick Wolf connection also means that viewers are comparing Colin Donnell’s casting on FBI: International to his work on Chicago Med — and there are indeed some things that can be learned when looking back. Donnell had a clear impact on Chicago Med over four seasons, and the show changed significantly once he left. From the moment that Dr. Connor Rhodes arrived at the hospital riding a gurney, he was never the stereotypical TV show doctor. And while some of that was in the scripts, more and more of it was due to Donnell’s focused and detail-oriented performance.
Connor had one of the most active character arcs in Chicago Med history, as the writers transitioned him away from trauma surgery and into cardiothoracic surgery and then to spearheading the development of a hybrid operating room that’s still an important part of the Emergency Department as of Season 9. Donnell kept a keen sense of who his character was as a person through these different career milestones, and also added extra layers to Connor’s relationships. The dynamic between Connor and Nick Gehlfuss’ character Dr. Will Halstead started out as a sort of rivalry, but developed into mutual respect, in which Connor helped keep the often impulsive Will in check. This was elucidated after Connor left in the Season 5 premiere; after his departure, Will didn’t have anyone who contrasted him as effectively. When Donnell joins the FBI: International cast, he’ll likewise be able to bolster each of his new costars; it will never just be about him.
Individually, though, he made Connor into a disruptor. The character never stood still, whether it was trying to figure himself out or Donnell bringing a different approach to a plotline. Network TV dramas of any kind tend to follow a very specific formula but “formula” can never be applied to a Colin Donnell character. The reactions he gave to other actors alone added more to scenes and sometimes said a lot about Connor without a word. Much of his development came through Donnell taking things beyond what was on the page. When Connor was supposed to be upset or angry, the audience legitimately felt it; it never seemed contrived, because the fans could follow how Donnell had gotten his character to that point. No one had to wonder about the acting choices he made — or ask what Connor was doing. Other characters like Will and Will’s love interest Dr. Natalie Manning did things that could get them fired (and did), but Connor’s job status was rarely in question.
In that same sense, Colin Donnell also provided an anchor for Chicago Med. He kept Connor grounded and in the moment even as the plots around him became increasingly harder to believe, such as his ex-girlfriend Dr. Ava Bekker being a murderer. No matter what happened or how high the stakes were raised, Donnell made sure Connor still felt like a realistic character whom audiences could understand, and his credible performances balanced the plot twists and surprises. Even in his final episode, Connor’s choice to leave Chicago Med for the Mayo Clinic made perfect sense, because he’d weathered an incredible amount — including Ava killing his father and a fake kidnapping — and his getting out was one last moment of stability. It’s not likely that FBI: International Season 3 is going to take the same dramatic swings that Chicago Med did, but fans of the FBI franchise can know that Donnell will ensure his character deserves their time and attention. If he does become the new Fly Team leader, he will always be worth following.
Chicago Med Isn’t Colin Donnell’s Only Relevant Role
Irreverent and To Catch a Spy Show His Full Range of Talent
While Colin Donnell is best known for Chicago Med, the best role to forecast what he might do on FBI: International is actually Donnell’s out of the box performance in Peacock’s Irreverent. While the series was primarily a comedy, there were plenty of dramatic edges, particularly around Donnell’s character Paulo Keegan. The show opened with a very dark sequence in which Paulo was nearly killed while getting in the middle of organized crime. That problem was the throughline for the rest of the season and even through all the fun as Paulo assumed another identity in Australia, Donnell kept the frustration and even desperation of a man who just wanted his life back. He created an antihero, someone who was not always likeable, and turned that character into a hero.
Irreverent had some similarities to Chicago Med, but it allowed Donnell to play more of a darkness and an abrasiveness than the NBC medical drama did, and that will be important in keeping with the stakes and tone of FBI: International. The FBI shows explore more grey areas than the One Chicago series, and Donnell’s whole character in Irreverent was a walking grey area. Yet he never lost the trust of the audience. The Fly Team requires a character who has the confidence of a leader and is someone the other agents would believably follow, no matter where or how far they go. Donnell has the poise to accomplish that and to give whomever he plays an extra punch. He’ll need to make an immediate impact in order for FBI: International to retain as much of its audience as possible.
Whoever becomes the new Fly Team leader needs to be something more. They shouldn’t try to emulate Luke Kleintank, and they can’t be just the next actor up. The FBI franchise has already experienced the effects of such a change when Julian McMahon left FBI: Most Wanted. There will be comparisons between Kleintank and Donnell, just like there were and still are comparisons between McMahon and Dylan McDermott. No one can copy what Kleintank started as Scott Forrester; to even attempt that would be disrespectful. The only way forward is someone who will be unique, because that allows Kleintank’s work to stand on its own and also keeps the show from turning stale. Audiences are going to be deservedly skeptical of the entire series once Kleintank leaves. Whether or not Colin Donnell sticks around, he’s going to give fans some reason to hang on — even if it’s just for those two episodes. He’ll create a character with a clear identity. He can help set the template for FBI: International Season 4 by bringing his own thoughtfulness and ability to elevate the scenes he’s in, creating new possibilities.
