On January 29, 2019, it was announced that CBS had commissioned a backdoor pilot with an attached series commitment for a potential spin-off series titled FBI: Most Wanted with the episode to air in the latter part of the first season. The series will focus on the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the most notorious criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list. According to Dick Wolf, the spin-off is set to launch a series of interconnected shows similar to that both of Wolf's Chicago and Law & Order franchises on NBC. On May 9, 2019, CBS announced that FBI: Most Wanted had been ordered to series. A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere as a mid-season replacement in the winter-spring of 2020. The series premiered on January 7, 2020. On March 13, 2020, it was announced that Universal Television has suspended the production due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States. They were filming episode 15, directed by Lexi Alexander. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 17, 2020. On August 28, 2020, it was announced that showrunner René Balcer would be leaving the series and David Hudgins would be taking over for the second season.
FBI: Most Wanted is an American crime drama television series created by René Balcer and produced by Wolf Entertainment that was ordered to series by CBS in May 2019. It is the first spin-off from Dick Wolf's drama FBI, in whose first season the characters of the series were introduced. The series premiered on January 7, 2020.
On May 15, 2019, CBS released the first official trailer for the series.
In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season; which premiered on November 17, 2020. In March 2021, CBS renewed the series for a third season; which premiered on September 21, 2021.
On March 24, 2021, CBS announced that the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 21, 2021.
In May 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fourth and fifth season. The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2022. The fifth season premiered on February 13, 2024, a delay from September 2023 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. For the same reason, there will be just 13 episodes in the fifth season. In April 2024, the series was renewed for a sixth season.
On May 9, 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fourth and fifth season. The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2022. The fifth season premiered on February 13, 2024. On April 9, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a sixth season.