The 2024 TV season is winding down for many of network television's biggest shows, including CBS' FBI. Fans of that drama are more secure than most about the future thanks to CBS delivering a three-season renewal, but FBI returning through Season 9 doesn't mean the cast will remain the same. The most recent episode raised the possibility that Maggie might step away from work at 26 Fed, which would be a bummer, to say the least. So, I revisited a conversation with actress Missy Peregrym from earlier in Season 6 and what she said makes me less nervous about Maggie's future.
The Latest Plot Twist For Maggie
In the FBI episode that aired on April 23 (and is available streaming via Paramount+ subscription), Maggie went undercover to try and rescue a kidnapped pregnant woman from a cult's compound, along with Scola and OA. While they were successful, Maggie was shot. Her bulletproof vest worn under her clothes saved her life, but the shot came terrifyingly close to missing the vest and hitting Maggie instead. If the bullet had hit even an inch in a different direction, she would have died... and Ella would have been an orphan again, which weighed on Maggie at the end of the hour.
It was also weighing on OA, who pushed past some hesitation and told Isobel that he thinks Maggie needs to be benched for a bit so she can take some time with Ella. It's a contrast to Scola covering for Tiff during her emotional struggles in Season 6, but OA clearly felt guilty about it and was accounting for Ella's wellbeing, not just Maggie's. All in all, it truly seems like this storyline could be a way for FBI to write out Missy Peregrym without harming Maggie, and I doubt I'm the only person with that on their mind after the latest episode.
What Missy Peregrym Told us
When I spoke with Missy Peregrym earlier this year prior to the three-season renewal, she shared some hopes for the future that make me think she's definitely planning further ahead on FBI than the finale in late May. After weighing in on how motherhood and FBI field agent status "don't really go together" back in early April, she shared her thoughts on what didn't really make sense about Maggie's plans.
At the time, she had already shared some scenes with Rose Decker as Ella, and I asked Peregrym what it has been like to work closely with a young actress this season. The FBI star explained:
She's so sweet. She's so lovely. She's a lot of fun. Obviously for me, I have kids and I love working with Rose. I think she's a beautiful little girl in her heart. She's so funny. She was so game immediately to just be present with me and try things and it was an easy connection, which is why I hope we can work together for a long time. But I really love the fact that we get to show that side of Maggie.
Missy Peregrym spoke with CinemaBlend for Episode 7 in early April. Unless the actress just meant the six remaining episodes of the sixth season as the "long time" she hoped she'd be able to work with young Rose Decker, that sounds to me like she was planning a future into Season 7 and beyond. She continued:
I really wanted to show something of Maggie because we don't have a lot of stuff with her outside of work. And I wanted to be able to tap into the maternal instinct that she has. And how does that work within this job? Maggie doesn't have a partner. What does this look like? And so I thought this was an interesting way to take that and I think it's fun to be able to be softer with Maggie.
Again, those don't sound like the words of a woman whose journey as Maggie would end by the end of May, and it would be a shame to lose this storyline too early. As Peregrym noted, Maggie doesn't have a partner in her personal life, and we've already seen Scola and Nina's attempts at parenthood this season. Why not Maggie's in the long term as well? Peregrym elaborated on this plot as a powerful way to dig into her character's personal life:
It's pretty easy to do, I have to say, and it's something I'm excited to do. I get to bring more of myself to the character, which is fun. I mean, I love Maggie's character. I like what I get to do on set. It's fun, the athletics. She's a badass and I like that, but I also think that there's a fuller character here that we can explore and that's the part that makes me really excited to continue doing it, if we have the chance. Obviously we're not picked up after next season, but I imagine this is probably where we'll take it and I want to see Maggie grow, as people grow.
FBI was renewed for Season 7 and beyond just days after this interview with Missy Peregrym, and it certainly sounded like the only obstacle to Maggie's journey continuing was whether or not CBS would renew the drama. And that's certainly not an obstacle anymore, with three more seasons on the way! Peregym continued:
I've grown so much in my life over the last six years and have dynamically shifted because of having children and having responsibility and I feel like I'm actually an adult now. I've got my first mortgage and it's horrible. [laughs] And it's like, 'Oh yeah, I've made it.' [laughs] I'm so stressed out, trying to keep everything together, but it's good stuff. That's what you want to do when you're an actor. You want to connect and you want to relate with people and you want to share of yourself and bring your version of things to the table where you get to say, 'This is my understanding of it. Do you see that? Do you feel that? Do you get that?' And so hopefully I get to play into that more.
Can I be blamed for not feeling too nervous about Maggie's future at 26 Fed after these comments from Missy Peregrym? Of course, none of them guarantee that FBI will end Season 6 will Maggie still set for the thick of the action, and there's no clear option for how she could balance field work with parenthood.
For now, keep tuning in to FBI on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, followed by FBI: International – which is actually losing its lead this season – at 9 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows' finales will air on May 21, and all three are also available streaming now via Paramount+ subscription.
