FBI: Most Wanted was part of CBS' Tuesday night lineup for six seasons, but unfortunately cancelled alongside FBI: International in spring of the 2025 TV schedule. The story isn't over for the original FBI spinoff, however, as the drama is still in the running for a pair of Emmys. Network TV procedurals don't usually get nominations for major awards ceremonies in recent years, but this will be Most Wanted's third year in stunt categories. Stunt coordinators Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey opened up about how they created "mayhem" to help earn those nominations this year.
Most Wanted is in the running for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming and Outstanding Stunt Performance at the 2025 Emmys, the nominations for which were announced back in July. They're facing stiff competition in both categories. For stunt coordination, the Most Wanted team is up against Prime Video's The Boys, Paramount+'s Lioness, HBO Max's The Penguin, and ABC's The Rookie. In the Outstanding Stunt Performance category, Evelyn O. Vaccaro and Alex Huynh are up against performers from The Boys, The Penguin, The Rookie, and Severance.
So, why am I rooting for FBI: Most Wanted in particular? Well, for one, I love to see network TV shows getting some credit for what they do for 22 episodes per season, and executive producer Ken Girotti emphasized the importance of practical effects after the nominations for the 2023 Emmys. Speaking with Awards Radar, stunt coordinators (and married couple) Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey opened up about a stunt sequence from the series finale that they managed to make even more epic than in the script. And what better way to wrap up a series than with an epic stunt sequence? The coordinators explained:
In the final episode of the season 622, 'The Circle Game,' we had a domestic terrorist attacking power grids. In the climax, the villains kill the power to a busy intersection. It was written flexibly because such a scene is quite demanding to film in New York City. You can never be sure what will be allowed. But given that it was our final episode, the producers and all involved wanted as much mayhem as possible.
The very last case that the task force faced on FBI: Most Wanted wrapped fairly early in the episode so that the finale could give the characters what showrunner David Hudgins described as a "proper goodbye," but that didn't mean the stunts were rushed. If you watched the finale live back in May or streamed afterwards with a Paramount+ subscription, you saw a lot go wrong very quickly for the team when that domestic terrorist attack on the power grid hit the New York City intersection. The stunt coordinators continued:
What started as a fender bender between two cars became a full-on T-bone, and then our Line Producer, Paul Cabbad, offered, 'Can you get a third car in that crash?' To which there is only ever one answer: 'Yes!' And that’s how it evolved into the three-bone car crash that closes out our Emmy reel.
It remains to be seen if FBI: Most Wanted wins either of the Emmys in 2025, and I can't help but root for the show. This is the last chance for the team to win for Most Wanted due to the cancellation, and I've always felt that this series' stunts are movie-quality. Delivering that 22 times per season is a big deal!
Former Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas (who also worked on FBI: International) spoke about Fire being snubbed from stunt nominations as well, so network TV shows often aren't rewarded. Perhaps this will be the year that a procedural in the Dick Wolf TV universe takes the top stunt prize. If you want to revisit the Season 6 finale of FBI: Most Wanted with all of its mayhem, you can find it streaming on Paramount+ now.
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