The Fly Team just isn't the same. Honestly, if you've been watching since the beginning, the vibe shift in FBI: International Season 4 feels like a total system reboot. We spent three years watching Scott Forrester lead with that quiet, brooding intensity, and then—poof. He’s gone, off the grid with his double-agent mother, and we’re left staring at a fresh face in the Budapest headquarters.
Enter Wesley "Wes" Mitchell.
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Played by Jesse Lee Soffer, Wes is basically the polar opposite of Forrester. If Forrester was a chess player, Wes is a guy who plays poker with his cards showing just to see if you’re brave enough to call his bluff. He’s "rakish," he’s "carefree," and he definitely doesn't wait for Europol clearance before kicking down a door in Bratislava. This season isn't just about catching bad guys across Europe anymore; it’s about a team trying to figure out if they can trust a leader who treats the rulebook like a suggestion.
The Jesse Lee Soffer Factor in FBI: International Season 4
Let's address the elephant in the room. A lot of you probably recognize Soffer from his decade-long run as Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D. It’s weird, right? He’s still in the Dick Wolf universe, still playing a cop, but he’s not Jay.
In FBI: International Season 4, Soffer has gone on record saying Wes Mitchell is "unaffected by baggage." Unlike Halstead, who looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, Wes is lighter. He’s a former LAPD officer who landed in Budapest after his partner was shot back in the States. He’s got history with Cameron Vo—he actually trained her—which creates this strange, inverted power dynamic where the student is now the one keeping the teacher from getting fired.
The chemistry is different now. Raines and Vo are established vets, but Smitty (our favorite Europol liaison) is clearly losing her mind over Wes’s "unconventional tactics." There’s a specific tension in the early episodes of the season, particularly in the premiere "A Leader, Not a Tourist," where you can practically see the team wondering if they’re about to be deported because of their new boss.
New Locations and Higher Stakes
One thing this show always gets right is the travel. FBI: International Season 4 doesn't just stick to the cobblestone streets of Budapest. We’ve already seen the team burning through passports in:
- Portugal: A senior year trip gone wrong on a beach.
- The Netherlands: A high-stakes hostage situation at a TV station.
- Spain: An undercover mission involving the DEA that forced Amanda Tate out of the office and into the field.
- Morocco: A terrifying bus hijacking.
The show is still filmed primarily in Hungary, but the production value has definitely spiked. They’re using the "Fly Team" concept to its full potential this year. The episode "The Unwinnable War" was a standout for me because it finally gave Christina Wolfe’s character, Amanda Tate, something substantial to do. Seeing her go undercover in Spain showed that the writers aren't just relying on the "new guy" to carry the season; they’re deepening the bench.
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Is This the End?
Here’s the part that sucks. In March 2025, CBS officially pulled the plug. FBI: International Season 4 is the final chapter.
It’s a bit of a gut punch for fans who were just starting to vibe with the new lineup. Usually, when a show swaps leads, it takes a full season to find its footing, and just as Wes Mitchell was starting to feel like part of the furniture, the news broke that the series wouldn't be returning for a fifth year. This makes the back half of the season feel much more urgent. Every case in places like Gibraltar, Vienna, and eventually Japan (for that massive two-part finale) carries the weight of a goodbye.
The series finale, titled "Gaijin," takes the hunt for a serial killer all the way to Tokyo. It’s an ambitious way to go out. Most procedural spin-offs just sort of fade away, but the "All-FBI Tuesday" powerhouse is at least giving this crew a cinematic exit.
How to Catch Up
If you're late to the party or just want to rewatch the Wes Mitchell era, here’s the deal on where to find it. The season consists of 22 episodes, which is a return to a "full" broadcast schedule compared to the shortened third season.
- Paramount+: This is the primary home. New episodes usually hit the streamer the day after they air on CBS.
- Live TV: It still holds its 10/9c slot on Tuesdays, right after FBI: Most Wanted.
- VOD: You can buy individual episodes on platforms like Amazon or Vudu if you don't want to commit to a monthly subscription.
Honestly, even with the cancellation news, FBI: International Season 4 is worth the watch. It’s faster, funnier, and a little more reckless than the previous years. Seeing the team navigate a prisoner swap in Belgrade or tracking a biotoxin through London proves that the "Fly Team" never really lost its edge, even when the leadership changed.
If you're looking for closure on the Scott Forrester/Angela Cassidy storyline, don't hold your breath for a cameo, but the show does a decent job of moving the focus toward the future of the remaining agents. To get the most out of the final episodes, pay attention to the subtle shifts in Smitty’s loyalty—she’s the glue holding this international mess together. Start with the premiere "A Leader, Not a Tourist" to see the exact moment the show’s DNA changed forever.