The future of the FBI franchise just got a lot brighter as CBS decides to renew not one, but all three of the shows in the expanded franchise.
The FBI franchise has received a huge update as all of its shows are renewed for new seasons. The main show is a procedural drama series following the work of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI began in 2018 and has so far had five completed seasons. Season 6 is currently in production and continuing its run weekly on Tuesdays. FBI also has two spinoff shows, Most Wanted and International.
As per Paramount, CBS has now renewed all three shows in the FBI franchise. This includes the main series, which scored a three-season renewal all on its own, allowing the show to run through season 9. FBI: Most Wanted will return for season 6, while FBI: International will return for season 4. Paramount cited high ratings during this cycle as a reason for the renewals. CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach called the FBI show block “a powerful force to be reckoned with.” Her full statement on the FBI shows and renewal news is as follows:
“The All-FBI Tuesday is a powerful force to be reckoned with on our primetime schedule. Dick Wolf and the talent in front of and behind the camera on all three series continue to deliver top-notch storytelling, riveting action and intrigue that has captivated a dedicated fanbase steadily across multiple seasons. We are excited to see what next season holds for all these heroic characters.”
With This Renewal, FBI Has Become A Huge Part Of Paramount’s Future
Currently, FBI, International, and Most Wanted are airing in back-to-back timeslots, at 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm EST. Across all primetime programming, FBI is the #1 broadcast drama series overall. Most Wanted is the #10 series and International is the #11 series overall. In terms of Tuesday programming overall, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International take home the #1, #2, and #3 slots, respectively. As Reisenbach confirms in her statement, this has been a hugely successful franchise on the CBS schedule.
FBI is averaging 9.11 million viewers, while International averages 7.22 million viewers; Most Wanted, meanwhile, gets an average of 7.39 million viewers. Since the start of their current seasons, CBS has come out on top on Tuesday nights every single week. This data makes it clear that Reisenbach is not exaggerating when she calls the block a “force to be reckoned with.” FBI is truly propelling CBS forward in this TV season.
The three-season renewal shows that the FBI dominance will be part of CBS’s continued strategy moving forward. The news also comes long before the current season ends for the FBI shows, meaning that CBS is confident enough in the early numbers to warrant continuing their stories. While CBS has other popular ongoing shows right now, such as Young Sheldon, continuing to build upon this procedural franchise is a smart strategy for the network. Hopefully, this belief is well-placed as the FBI shows finish up their current seasons and continue into next year.