CBS has announced a shocking update for the FBI franchise. The network recently revealed that FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted would be canceled after their ongoing seasons, leaving heartbroken fans desperate to know the reason. The popular police procedural franchise created by Dick Wolf will now move on with only the original series, FBI.
Here’s everything we know about why CBS canceled FBI: International and Most Wanted.
Why did CBS cancel FBI: International and Most Wanted
CBS has not yet given an official reason for canceling FBI: International and Most Wanted. However, many speculate that the network is clearing space for an upcoming spin-off.
Variety reported on March 4, 2025, that CBS will not renew the two beloved FBI spin-offs, Most Wanted and International. Most Wanted was the first to take flight in 2020 and will conclude with its sixth and final season. FBI: International, on the other hand, premiered in 2021 and is in its fourth and final season.
Earlier this year, CBS announced that a new FBI spin-off, FBI: CIA, is in development, with Wolf returning as the writer and executive producer. This project may have led to the cancellation of the two shows to make room for FBI: CIA. Even more, in May 2024, CBS revealed plans to cut minimum episode guarantees for the regular cast of FBI and FBI: Most Wanted by two episodes, aiming to reduce costs. This move suggests that the network had already begun shifting its priorities toward newer projects. (via Deadline)
Furthermore, CBS has used this strategy before — cutting older spin-offs to make way for new ones. A prime example is the cancellation of NCIS: Hawai’i just four months before launching the prequel, NCIS: Origins.
The release date or production updates of FBI: CIA remains under wraps for now. The official premise of the upcoming series states that it will follow a “dedicated, strait-laced FBI agent and a street-smart CIA agent who are part of a new, clandestine taskforce charged with solving and preventing domestic terrorism in and around New York City.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on ComingSoon.
