Why is Alexa Davalos leaving FBI: Most Wanted?

“Processed” – When a celebrity child psychiatrist specializing in generational trauma is kidnapped by the relative of a former client, the team races to track down the perpetrator and learns what really happened to the psychiatrist’s client. Also, Kristin confronts her own deep-rooted trauma, on the CBS Original series FBI: MOST WANTED, Tuesday, Jan. 3 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Pictured: Alexa Davalos as Special Agent Kristin Gaines. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“Processed” – When a celebrity child psychiatrist specializing in generational trauma is kidnapped by the relative of a former client, the team races to track down the perpetrator and learns what really happened to the psychiatrist’s client. Also, Kristin confronts her own deep-rooted trauma, on the CBS Original series FBI: MOST WANTED, Tuesday, Jan. 3 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Pictured: Alexa Davalos as Special Agent Kristin Gaines. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Fugitive Task Force is going to be another team member down. Alexa Davalos is leaving FBI: Most Wanted, but was it her choice?

When it comes to TV shows, consistency is necessary for success. That’s not what FBI: Most Wanted has been granted. Since the third season, the series has seen a bunch of cast members come in and leave, and Season 5 is going to be no different.

After joining the series in Season 3, Alexa Davalos’s Kristen Gaines has been an integral member of the team. She looks out for everyone around her, while also dealing with a lot of trauma from past cases. We hoped to see a lot more for her in Season 5, but that’s not going to be the cast. Davalos is leaving the series.

Why Alexa Davalos is leaving FBI: Most Wanted

Is this The Man in the High Castle actor’s choice? It certainly doesn’t sound like it. According to Deadline, Davalos was told after filming her final Season 4 scene that it would be her last of the series. The show is taking the character out for “creative reasons.”

This doesn’t make sense. After all, the series has already seen the exits of Kellan Lutz, Julian McMahon, and Miguel Gomez in just a few years. Only two OG characters remain, and it’s leading to some fans deciding enough is enough and walking away from the series. Fans need consistency.

It wasn’t like Gaines had nothing to do, either. There was a lot of room open for character development. We could get to see her more as a single mom, we could see her deal with her trauma more, and there was the secret she was holding for Hana for the time being. Why wouldn’t the writers want to work with all this potential?

The only thing that could make sense is that this is a financial decision. FBI: Most Wanted is the least-watched of the three FBI shows on CBS. This could have led to a smaller budget. However, with the writers and actors strikes delaying production, there will be shorter seasons this year, anyway, which will help to save money.

FBI: Most Wanted is available to stream on Paramount+.