The TV crime procedural was practically created by Dick Wolf with “Law & Order” (1990) and expanded 10 years later by the “CSI” team of Anthony Zuiker, Ann Donahue and Carol Mendelsohn, both shows spun off into several successful iterations.
While it’s proven to be the medium’s most durable modern viewing format, it’s also become an overused format. The ever-prolific Wolf, who’s already got three Chicago-based procedurals on NBC (“Fire,” “Med” and “PD”), found a new home for his franchise shows at CBS when the by-the-numbers drama “FBI” premiered in 2018 — and did well enough to warrant a spinoff, “FBI: Most Wanted,” premiering Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 10 p.m.
While the show bears similarities to all of its procedural predecessors, Wolf and longtime “Law & Order” collaborator Rene Balcer have built a more promising foundation here by casting better actors than ordinarily found on these pedestrian dramas.
Julian McMahon, one of the creepy plastic surgeons from FX’s edgy series “Nip/Tuck,” stars as Jess LaCroix, a veteran from the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force who leads the usual team of five agents through their case of the week. The stories make timely nods to current issues such as opioid addiction but also offer a more rewarding sense of character development. (The series is filmed in New York City.) McMahon brings a depth and nuance to LaCroix that never existed among the David Carusos and William Petersens of the “CSI” era. Besides being effective at his job, “Most Wanted” shows that LaCroix is also a responsible single dad coping with the loss of his young wife, who died in the Afghanistan war. The effects of her passing on his daughter, Tali (YaYa Gosselin), are movingly displayed as she and Jess review old Face Time conversations.
Roxy Sternberg (“Absentia”) more than holds her own as Agent Sheryll Barnes, who is the focus of “Most Wanted’s” second episode, where Barnes puts her private life on the line to help the FBI team infiltrate a Bronx gang and bring down its volatile leader.
“Whale Rider” Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, whose “Game of Thrones” role as one of the Sand Snakes was greeted with great fanfare, adds some spice and a wry sense of humor to the proceedings as Agent Hana Gibson. Kellan Lutz, best-known for playing Emmett Cullen in the “Twilight” movies, is also along for the ride as FBI agent Kenny Crosby.
Along with Fox’s “Deputy,” “FBI: Most Wanted” is one of the first premieres of the new year. The built-in audience may take it for granted that the good guys will always get the bad guys, but they also may find themselves surprised that they like the characters, too.