All of the major TV networks have their own procedural franchise. NBC has repped Dick Wolf's Law & Order brand for over 20 years, and recently brought back the original series despite a lack of tension for its characters. Wolf is also responsible for the One Chicago franchise, which established the idea of regular crossovers between crime dramas. ABC is about to expand The Rookie from one show into a shared universe with its first spinoff, and CBS has the NCIS brand, with the timeless flagship show returning for Season 20.

Yet one thing common among most of those properties is consistency. FBI: Most Wanted hasn't had any when it comes to its ensemble. The second of three FBI series created by Wolf for CBS, it's about to start its fourth season and has already lost several cast members, including its main star. The FBI: Most Wanted cast is undergoing yet another change in Season 4 -- so why have multiple actors left the series when it's a proven hit?

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FBI Most Wanted Jess

The show started with Julian McMahon starring as Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix, but in Season 3, Jess died during a very intense case because McMahon wanted to pursue other opportunities. Some fans believed that killing Jess rather than letting him leave gracefully was the wrong decision, but the writers believed that the series needed to live up to the dangers implied in its name. McMahon wasn't the first actor to exit, though; Nathaniel Arcand left his role as Special Agent Clinton Skye in Season 2 due to scheduling conflicts, according to Distractify. Kellen Lutz departed as Special Agent Kenny Crosby in early Season 3, with Deadline reporting that losing several loved ones to COVID-19 prompted him to move back to California from New York, where Most Wanted films.

To replace McMahon, Most Wanted introduced Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. McDermott had been playing a crime boss on Wolf's Law & Order: Organized Crime, but he transitioned well into his new heroic role. Remy was more intense than Jess as he took over mid-Season 3, which fit the very serious tone of the series. Season 4 will see Remy fully entrenched as the team's leader, and experiencing his first case of turnover.

When Remy joined the team, he worked alongside Special Agents Hana Gibson (Keisha Castle-Hughes), Kristin Gaines (Alexa Davalos) and Ivan Ortiz (Miguel Gomez). The former two will be back on Remy's team, but Ortiz will not. In the Season 3 finale, fans learned the character had gone back to California to take care of his sick father. Deadline described the move as "a mutual decision," despite Gomez only having been on the series since the middle of Season 2.

To fill Ortiz's spot on the team, Most Wanted will introduce Special Agent Ray Cannon. The new character will be played by Edwin Hodge, who recurred on Wolf's Chicago Fire and recently starred on CBS' medical drama Good Sam. According to TVLine, Cannon "started his career in New Orleans as a cop turned junior detective, graduated last year at the top of his class at Quantico (following in his retired FBI agent father’s footsteps), and recently transferred to Remy Scott's team from the FBI’s Violent Crimes office in Albany."

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FBI Most Wanted Original Cast

It will be interesting to see the first interactions between Remy and Cannon, but it will also be interesting to see when Roxy Sternberg's Special Agent Sheryll Barnes will be back. Barnes decided to go on maternity leave after Jess' death, which meant that she has never met Remy. In reality, Sternberg did actually take maternity leave; she announced her pregnancy in January 2022. When CBS announced the show's renewal for Seasons 4 and 5 in May, Sternberg was still listed in the cast, but no date has been set for her return.

FBI: Most Wanted's cast upheaval seems to be because of coincidence, rather than any problems with the show itself. Three of the four ex-cast members left of their own volition, while the most recent departure was on mutual terms. The turnover hasn't harmed the series; it still has a consistent fan base and just scored a multi-season renewal. The only question about FBI: Most Wanted is how fans will react to yet another new team dynamic.

FBI: Most Wanted Season 4 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 20 on CBS.