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FBI ratings hold steady with FBI: Most Wanted spinoff pilot

By Brittany Frederick

"Most Wanted" -- OA and Maggie team up with members of the FBI's Fugitives Department to track down a person wanted for murder who is also on America's top 10 most wanted list, on FBI, Tuesday, April 2 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Julian McMahon as FBI Agent Jess Lacroix; Kellan Lutz as FBI Agent Crosby; Roxy Sternberg as FBI Agent Sheryll Barnes; Keisha Castle-Hughes as FBI Analyst Hana Gibson; Nathaniel Arcand as FBI Agent Clinton Skye; and Alana De La Garza as Assistant Agent in Charge Isobel Castille Pictured (L-R) Ebonée Noel as Analyst Kristen Chazal and Sela Ward as Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
"Most Wanted" -- OA and Maggie team up with members of the FBI's Fugitives Department to track down a person wanted for murder who is also on America's top 10 most wanted list, on FBI, Tuesday, April 2 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Julian McMahon as FBI Agent Jess Lacroix; Kellan Lutz as FBI Agent Crosby; Roxy Sternberg as FBI Agent Sheryll Barnes; Keisha Castle-Hughes as FBI Analyst Hana Gibson; Nathaniel Arcand as FBI Agent Clinton Skye; and Alana De La Garza as Assistant Agent in Charge Isobel Castille Pictured (L-R) Ebonée Noel as Analyst Kristen Chazal and Sela Ward as Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved /
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FBI: Most Wanted delivered solid ratings for CBS as the network aired the backdoor pilot for an FBI spinoff; could a series pickup be next?

Fans of Dick Wolf got to sample an FBI spinoff last Tuesday, when CBS broadcast the backdoor pilot for FBI: Most Wanted. But did the pilot bring in enough viewers to make the spinoff a real possibility?

The episode, also titled “Most Wanted,” featured Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo) as a fugitive who was suspected of multiple murders. That led the regular team to call in another team of agents, including Jess Lacroix (played by Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck).

It attracted 9.06 million people watching live, making it the second most-watched program on broadcast TV. It also came in fourth amongst adults 18-49, with a 0.9 share.

That was just a slight uptick from the previous episode “Apex,” which had 9.05 million viewers live and the same 0.9 result in the demographic.

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So while the idea of an FBI spinoff didn’t result in a huge, exciting lift in CBS’s ratings, the fact that it held onto the entirety of the existing audience is a major plus. FBI has been a huge success since it premiered this fall, with its ratings consistently in the 8-9 million range.

For comparison, that’s consistently on par with if not better than the One Chicago franchise that’s dominated Wednesdays for NBC, and double the audience that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been pulling in for a large part of this season.

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While more excitement for “Most Wanted” would have been great, it’s hard to argue against the network ordering a full first season when it’s able to post numbers that any TV show would love to have. The FBI audience clearly tuned in plus just a few more, so this should be a bankable idea for CBS, especially if it can pair the two together next season or run them consecutively.

If you missed “Most Wanted,” you can watch a clip from the episode featuring some of the new characters by playing the video below. Fans will have to wait and see if CBS orders an entire first season, but based on these numbers, a franchise seems likely.

Everything we know about FBI: Most Wanted. dark. Next

For the latest FBI season 1 spoilers and news, plus more on all of Dick Wolf’s other series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.

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