After FBI's Massive Renewal From CBS, I Love What Missy Peregrym Told Us About Playing Maggie For Seven 'Very Hard' Years
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Tuesdays have been packed with action on CBS in the 2024 TV schedule thanks to the three shows of the FBI universe, and fans have some major news to celebrate with renewals for all of them. The original FBI got the biggest with a multi-season renewal, and I thought back to what leading lady Missy Peregrym told CinemaBlend about her seven years working on the show over six seasons so far, now that several more are (hopefully) in front of her as Agent Maggie Bell.
First things first: the great franchise news! FBI, FBI: International, and FBI: Most Wanted have all been renewed for the 2024-2025 TV season, bringing FBI to Season 7, International to Season 4, and Most Wanted to Season 6. The original show is guaranteed more than just the next season, however, as CBS has ordered three more through the 2026-2027 TV season, bringing it to Season 9. This isn't the first time FBI was renewed for more than one season at a time, and fans can rest very easy about the show remaining on the air for the foreseeable future.
The renewals aren't too surprising, as all three series win their time slots on Tuesday nights, with FBI also ranking as the #3 broadcast show of the season overall. Most Wanted ranks at #10 and International ranks at #11. The two spinoffs were only renewed for one more season, but that's far from bad news. Early April renewal news is worth celebrating as is, and you can find all three streaming via Paramount+ subscription.
Of course, it remains to be seen how different the shows will be as they continue on CBS, for better or worse. On FBI, Maggie's life changed drastically with the death of her friend, which meant taking in her young daughter Ella. After Missy Peregrym opened up to CinemaBlend about Maggie trying to balance parenting with her work as an agent, I asked the actress about how it feels to work on Season 6 after hitting the 100-episode milestone, which isn't common for network TV shows nowadays. Her response hits a little bit harder now in the wake of the three-season renewal, as she said:
I gotta tell you, it's been such a great season for me, personally and professionally. It's a big deal to go on for this long and these seasons are very hard. 22 episodes is a lot of work to do in a year, and I've had two babies in this time, which was a huge challenge. So in my life, personally, it's been really wonderful because I've achieved that and now my kids are almost two and four, and we're in such a cool phase of our family.
FBI has survived quite a lot of complications over the years, with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns cutting Season 2 short and then the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes shortening Season 6. Despite the challenges, the show launched two successful spinoffs, so it's no wonder that it feels like a "big deal" for Missy Peregrym. The show even gave her some meaty storylines to explain her maternity leaves, first with an undercover operation in Season 2 and then the sarin gas exposure in Season 5. Peregrym went on to shout out co-star Zeeko Zaki, who plays Maggie's longtime partner OA. The actress said:
And also with Zeeko, we've really grown together on this show and our friendship is really important to me. I get along really well with everybody here, but we are day in and day out together, and we're going on seven years almost. We were just having dinner last night, and we were just so grateful that we've had this experience and we were talking about the growth that we've had, personally and also professionally, on the show. That's a very cool thing to have happen. That's not ever promised when you take a job. I feel kind of elated today, even just thinking about how far we've come and I hope that we can continue.
Missy Peregrym and I spoke before the renewals, so if she was "elated" then, I have to imagine that she and the cast had plenty to celebrate when they learned of the renewals. I also noted that Maggie and OA are one of my favorite TV partnerships, and the actress responded:
I really do believe that what you share in your life together personally can really impact what's seen on screen, and we've been through a lot together outside of things. And you kind of can't help but be growing on set together and through that stuff. I just feel we kind of grew up a little bit more together. We're in different phases of our lives, but it's very special to share that and it's really great to be here together at this time. That's the part that's not guaranteed. You can work with people for a really long time. It doesn't mean you're gonna be close, and so it affects our work. It affects our scenes, it affects how we connect, it affects how much we laugh together. And how much our crew laughs when we work together, which is super important to me.
CBS clearly found a winning recipe with the cast, crew, and stories of this series, with a renewal that not only guarantees three more seasons, but should easily carry FBI to the 150-episode milestone if the network continues with the usual 22-episode seasons. Maggie also isn't the only character dealing with personal life complications in the current sixth season, with OA facing hurdles in a relationship and Scola's status as a new dad, which will be explored in a crossover with FBI: Most Wanted and Shantel VanSanten as Nina.
Keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI, 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI: International, and 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI: Most Wanted. With the three FBI renewals along with NBC renewing One Chicago and the Law & Order shows, eight of the nine Dick Wolf TV universe shows are guaranteed for the 2024-2025 TV season. The wait is now on for Law & Order: Organized Crime.
