WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for FBI: International season 4, episode 22, "Gaijin," and FBI: Most Wanted Season 6, episode 22, "The Circle Game."
I'm even more annoyed with the way that FBI: International season 4, episode 22, titled, "Gaijin," wrapped up the series after watching FBI: Most Wanted's finale. Both spinoffs were, unfortunately, on the list of shows that CBS canceled in 2025. After their cancelations were announced in March 2025, I was eager to learn how both procedurals would wrap up. However, FBI: International's series finale was disappointing because it failed to wrap up any character's storyline as the episode drew to a close.
FBI: International season 4 set up several plot threads that could have easily been resolved in the finale, but were not. This disappointing ending to the procedural was not repeated in FBI: Most Wanted, which featured a more satisfying conclusion. Comparing the two finales makes it clearer that FBI: International made choices that did not lead to the type of ending the series deserved after four years on the air.
FBI: Most Wanted Satisfyingly Wraps Up The Fugitive Task Force's Story
Every Character Got An Ending
Although FBI: Most Wanted's finale featured an intense case, it made it clear that "The Circle Game" was the last installment in the series. The episode began with a strong opening between Nina (Shantel Van Santen) and her father, wrapping up their story, before moving to the case. It also foreshadowed Remy's (Dylan McDermott) retirement and included a scene where Ray (Edwin Hodges) revealed his wife was pregnant with his child. These early scenes helped establish that everyone in the Fugitive Task Force was moving into a new stage of life in some manner, making it feel like a finale.
FBI: International Left The Fly Team's Narrative Unfinished & Weak
It Focused Too Much on Wes And Featured No Real Ending
FBI: International's series finale ended in a far more disappointing manner. The episode felt more like a season finale than a series finale because important questions were left unanswered. Additionally, the finale focused mostly on Wes Mitchell's solo adventure in Tokyo, while the rest of the Fly Team felt like an afterthought. They were in Budapest and only featured in brief scenes where Wes needed their help. This set-up made it difficult to find out how each character's story wrapped up.
This ambiguous ending would have been acceptable if FBI: International season 5 had been greenlit. The cliffhangers could have been resolved in the new season so that the series could move forward. However, there is no new season coming; thus, the ending leaves the Fly Team in limbo and offers no satisfying wrap-up. Instead, it leaves the end of significant storylines to the audience's imagination. Furthermore, some characters barely appeared and didn't get an ending at all, adding to the disappointment.
Most Wanted Focused On Its Characters, While International Spent So Much Time On The Case
It Also Focused Too Much On Wes And A New Character
image made by Milica Djordjevic
FBI: Most Wanted was always a character-driven procedural, and this aspect of its brand carried over into the series finale. During its first three seasons, it became popular partially because of the subplots about Jess' struggles with raising his headstrong daughter. After Jess' death, the series never quite reached the same level of character development with Remy. However, it continued to give the characters personal storylines, often bookending cases with scenes of characters at home dealing with a family or relationship problem.
This dual focus likely made it seem more natural to the writers to create a satisfying ending for FBI: Most Wanted. It didn't make sense that the characters immediately embraced Wes as their new leader when they had all been close to Scott. Additionally, Wes began a relationship with Tate near the end of the season that was abruptly dropped and wasn't referenced in the finale.
That said, a case-driven finale might have been more satisfying if it had included the entire team. Instead, FBI: International focused almost exclusively on Wes. The team should have gone to Tokyo as a unit and worked together instead of Wes working with Reiko, a Japanese cop who had visited Budapest in the previous episode. This extreme focus on Wes contributed to the disappointment in this lackluster finale because it cheated the audience out of a final adventure with all of the characters.
FBI: International spent so much time on Reiko's issues with the Japanese police force that it seemed like she was destined to join the Fly Team instead. However, this was not mentioned, making it even more confusing that the series spent so much of its final episode on this character.
FBI: International had two months to prepare for its series finale after the cancelation news, yet failed to wrap things up. The mistakes made in the finale are even more glaring because FBI: Most Wanted was able to do a much better job with the same amount of time to prepare. Thus, it seems that FBI: International's decision not to wrap up the story properly was intentional, which is bewildering considering that the writers knew the series was not returning.
