Dick Wolf’s FBI shows have become integral to the CBS primetime lineup. All three series deliver reliable ratings, which isn’t a surprise considering Wolf created the formula for franchise television. That blueprint includes characters audiences will follow from one show to another. However, the FBI franchise hasn’t had the best luck in that respect. When FBI: Most Wanted star Julian McMahon left the show, his character Jess LaCroix’ death was controversial.
And for several months in 2022, FBI was without one of its biggest stars. In Season 4, Episode 18 of FBI, Missy Peregrym’s Special Agent Maggie Bell was written off of the series. However, Maggie’s leave wasn’t permanent, nor was it the first time she departed the series. Here’s what happened to Maggie on FBI, how the series explained her absence and when she came back.
Updated on May 24, 2024 by Katie Doll: Missy Peregrym’s Maggie Bell has disappeared a couple of times on FBI, raising concerns whether the actor has ever seriously considered leaving the Dick Wolf series. This article has been updated to expand more on Maggie’s biography and the normalcy of actors taking time off for maternity leave on television shows.
Who Is Missy Peregrym’s Maggie Bell on FBI?
Maggie Bell was introduced in the pilot episode of FBI as one of the agents. She was born into a family of law enforcement, so one can say she was literally born to be an FBI agent. At the time of the pilot, she had already been with the New York City field office for three years and lost her husband, Jason, at some point before the series.
Maggie became a favorite of both her co-workers and fans of the show. Her skilled traits and expertise made it easy to root for her. In later seasons, her personal life became a storyline of interest when she began exploring motherhood, which was all Peregrym’s idea. According to an interview the actor did with TheWrap, the storyline was conceived as a way of showing Maggie’s duality as a woman. She’s more than just the “strong female character” archetype — she’s also a woman with maternal qualities that aren’t interpreted as a weakness. Six seasons in, FBI still finds ways to make Maggie the heart of the series. That’s why whenever she leaves, FBI feels quite empty.
How Maggie Bell Left FBI in Season 4
The agents on every FBI series regularly deal with all kinds of high-profile problems. From shootings to bombs, they’re always ready to spring into action. However, in “Fear Nothing,” the team faced a very dangerous threat: sarin gas. Maggie’s partner OA Zidan had witnessed the deadly poison’s effects in the past, so he was particularly invested in making sure that it didn’t get released on the public. Maggie and OA tracked their suspect to an abandoned laboratory, but went their separate ways once inside.
Finding her way past multiple trip wires and IEDs, Maggie located the suspect first. Although she tried to talk him down, he made a move toward a container of sarin gas, and she was forced to shoot him. As he died, the container fell to the floor; Maggie tried to catch it, but was unable to do so. The gas released and the laboratory’s automatic containment doors shut, trapping Maggie inside. OA arrived in time to see Maggie pass out, and though he eventually freed her, the damage was done. Later at the hospital, their boss Isobel Castille assured OA that the doctors hoped Maggie would make a full recovery — but that was going to take quite some time.
When Does Maggie Come Back to FBI?
| Missy Peregrym’s Leaves on FBI | Episode of Departure | Episode of Return |
|---|---|---|
| First Leave | Season 2, Episode 17, “Broken Promises” | Season 3, Episode 1, “Never Trust a Stranger” |
| Second Leave | Season 4, Episode 18, “Most Wanted” | Season 5, Episode 7, “Ready or Not” |
The sarin gas storyline is actually the second time that Missy Peregrym has taken a break from FBI. Near the end of Season 2, her character went on a secret undercover assignment. That allowed Peregrym to go on maternity leave to have her first child, and the actress returned in Season 3. That’s also why Maggie left FBI a second time — so Peregrym could have her second child. Peregrym announced her pregnancy in February 2022, but she had planned ahead with FBI showrunner Rick Eid.
Eid told Variety, “We just wanted to find a way to credibly send her off within the imaginary worlds we’re living in, and make it so that she can come back when she’s physically ready to come back.” That indicated that Peregrym intended to return as Maggie in Season 5 — and she did. Peregrym returned to FBI in Season 5, Episode 7, “Ready or Not,” after her maternity leave. Viewers were relieved to know that while FBI‘s Maggie Bell was gone for the rest of Season 4, including its big finale, she was not gone forever.
However, her frequent absences in Season 6 have gotten fans worried again that she may be leaving for good this time. Since Maggie became a foster mom in Season 6, she has more reason not to put her life on the line as much as she has in the past. In Season 6, Episode 10, “Family Affair,” Maggie is almost killed by a cult leader, which would’ve made her foster daughter an orphan again. The close call asks whether Maggie is willing to give up her career for her daughter, but thankfully, Peregrym cleared the air on the subject. In an interview with CinemaBlend, the actor confirmed that Maggie is not going anywhere, and her future storyline will be her balancing her new life as a mom with her job.
Maternity Leave Departures Aren’t Uncommon for Network Shows
In terms of Peregrym’s maternity leave on FBI, this is a completely normal thing that network television shows have done. It shouldn’t raise an alarm if an actor’s leaving their respective show completely for good. Usually, an actor will choose to either hide the pregnancy while continuing their character’s normal storyline, temporarily leave the show or incorporate the pregnancy altogether. In any way, the actor will have to leave for a short period of time for maternity leave. One such case is Grey’s Anatomy, where several actors over its 20-season span were pregnant at some point. Its lead actor, Ellen Pompeo, was pregnant twice while filming the show. During Season 6, her character Meredith Grey had a notably smaller role when she was ordered bed rest after donating her liver to her father. In actuality, Pompeo was pregnant and had to take time off eventually to give birth.
Another such example is Malcolm in the Middle‘s Jane Kaczmarek, who, like Peregrym, disappeared from the show for a short period of time to give birth. Kaczmarek’s pregnancy, however, was actually incorporated into the show’s plot, so her absence didn’t feel that jarring. In whatever way these real-life pregnancies are depicted on the screen, it’s nice to know that TV shows give actors the time they need to adjust to the new additions of their families.
