FBI Spinoff Gets Backdoor Pilot, Series Commitment At CBS

CBS has ordered a spinoff for its freshman drama series FBI, from Dick Wolf. CBS has commissioned a backdoor pilot for FBI: Most Wanted, which will air as an episode of FBI in the spring, according to Deadline. The project currently has a series commitment.

FBI: Most Wanted is centered around the division of the FBI tasked with tracking and capturing the notorious criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

The planted spinoff episode is written by WOLF and Law & Order alum Rene Balcer. It will be directed by another Law & Order veteran, Fred Berner.

FBI: Most Wanted hails from Wolf's WOLF Films and Universal Television, where the company is based, in association with CBS TV Studios. WOLF and Balcer executive produce with WOLF Films' Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski.

FBI, which was recently renewed for a second season, is CBS' number one new series in total viewers and the number two new series overall this season, averaging nearly 13 million viewers. FBI centers on the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The series stars Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Ebonée Noel, Jeremy Sisto and Sela Ward.

Balcer was one of the original writers on Law & Order and rose through the ranks to become executive producer and showrunner. He then went on to develop Law & Order: Criminal Intent . Balcer recently was writer, executive producer and showrunner on Wolf's NBC anthology series Law & Order: True Crime - The Menendez Murders.

Wolf currently has three Chicago series, veteran Law & Order: SVU and the upcoming Law & Order: Hate Crimes on NBC on air. He also has a New York Undercover reboot in contention at ABC.

Read the original article on Deadline.

Photo Credit: Michael Parmelee/CBS