The long-awaited second season of FBI: Most Wanted is finally coming to CBS, paired with FBI Season 3 and taking viewers back into the hunt for the worst of the worst criminals in the United States. Season 2 will not only incorporate the real-life pandemic that has changed the world since the end of Season 1 back in the spring, but also introduce a new character played by a Lost veteran and more. Showrunner David Hudgins weighed in on what's in store.
Former Lost star Terry O'Quinn was announced as joining FBI: Most Wanted Season 2 to play Jess LaCroix's father Byron. Divorced and packing a big personality, Byron arriving in Season 2 is bound to cause some changes. FBI: Most Wanted boss David Hudgins shared what to expect from Terry O'Quinn's Byron:
Terry is fantastic and we are thrilled to have him. He has a natural gravitas and also a gift for comedy that feels really fresh in the show. Fans can expect to learn a lot about Jess as we unpack his difficult relationship with his father. It’s a story about reckoning and reconciliation, coming to terms with the past, but also new beginnings. Fathers and sons, there’s a lot to mine there.
FBI: Most Wanted delved into Jess' family history with regard to his daughter and his late wife in the first season, and the arrival of Terry O'Quinn as his father promises to reveal more about him in the seconds. David Hudgins' mention of "reckoning and reconciliation" suggests that there's hope for Jess and his relationship with his dad, but the road there may not be without its obstacles.
Of course, Jess and the rest of the FBI: Most Wanted team have plenty of professional obstacles in Season 2 on top of Byron's arrival. Like the rest of the Dick Wolf shared universe, Most Wanted will incorporate the COVID-19 dynamic.
David Hudgins shared that they "imagine Season 1 as having ended when the first wave of the pandemic hit," and Season 2 is picking up eight months later with COVID already part of daily life. The showrunner elaborated on how the pandemic will complicate the cases for the team as they travel all over the country:
Our team gets tested every day so they can interact freely with each inside their 'pod'. But out in the field, they will be dealing with the same protocols every American faces - social distancing, masks, not gathering in large groups, etc. On a story level, the effects of COVID on the psyches of both our fugitives and witnesses will also present a new challenge.
With the Season 2 premiere featuring gunmen going after the elite class out of frustration and fury with COVID, and with COVID presumably not going anywhere any time soon, the challenges could be formidable. At least Jess and the rest of the team won't have to wear masks around each other all the time!
A big question heading into Season 2 with COVID a concern both in-universe and the real world is what the pandemic means for crossovers. The two-parter last season between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted was a hit, and One Chicago's Upton dropping by FBI in the spring means that Most Wanted now shares a TV universe with no fewer than four NBC shows as well as FBI.
David Hudgins shared FBI: Most Wanted's crossover goals heading into Season 2:
The audience loves crossover episodes and the one from last year was one of my favorites. There are production challenges this year related to COVID but yes, our goal is to do more. We’re also grounding FBI: Most Wanted more into the mother ship FBI show, so there are storylines within certain episodes where characters from both shows interact. A scene we recently shot with Julian [McMahon] and Alana De La Garza comes to mind - they have great chemistry
The FBI: Most Wanted showrunner's comments echo what FBI boss Rick Eid said about potential crossovers in the 2020-2021 TV season, in that the shows are facing production challenges when it comes to potential crossovers. Still, David Hudgins' revealed that Most Wanted's Julian McMahon will share a scene with FBI's Alana De La Garza, so the shows will remain very much connected.
See how the show handles COVID and the new characters on the way with new episodes of FBI: Most Wanted on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, following new episodes of FBI at 9 p.m. ET. For some more viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule and our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
