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FBI made a divisive decision when killing off a surprise character in its newest episode — and now Missy Peregrym is revealing whether she plans to leave the show following that shocking death.
During the Monday, March 16, episode of the hit CBS show, Maggie’s (Peregrym) first arrest — serial slasher Ray DiStefano (Matthew Rauch) — kidnapped her sister, Erin (Adrienne Rose Bengtsson). Maggie spent the episode trying to save her sister — only to find her dead in the back of DiStefano’s truck.
In postmortem interviews, Peregrym, 43, reflected on how a procedural show would continue to address the gruesome loss while solving cases every week. Deadline specifically asked whether Peregrym had plans to leave after expressing concern about the next chapter of FBI.
“No. I think it’s an opportunity. When I spoke to Aaron about it, Aaron Ginsburg is one of the writers on the show. I called him after we filmed the last scene, and I said, ‘Aaron, this is so far. What are we doing?’” she recalled. “And he said, ‘Miss, this is what we want to do with you. We want to show you getting knocked down. There are a lot of people getting knocked down right now, and we want to show you how to get back up.’”
She continued: “I was like, ‘OK, I think that’s really important. I think that’s exactly what we need.’”
FBI, which premiered in 2018, centers on the inner workings of the New York City field office criminal division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where the personnel work to ensure the safety of New York City and its citizens.
“I’ll be honest. I’m on a procedural show, and I wonder what impact this is possibly making? And sometimes I get freaked out because I think we’re just highlighting some of the horrors of humanity every week,” Peregrym admitted to Deadline. “And what is this? What are we doing this for? What am I investing a lot of my life in to do this for?”
Peregrym was relieved to see how the show would elevate relevant topics on screen.
“I think it’s really important what we’re doing, because we’re highlighting how to move forward. Everybody experiences loss. Everybody goes through the depths of emotions in life,” she explained. “You have an opportunity to show connection, relationship, intimacy, and growth. And this is exactly why I do what I do. I hope this makes people feel seen and that they want to keep going after such a horrific experience, and that they don’t give up.”
Looking ahead, Peregrym was hopeful about the plans for the show. “To go so far. I was like, ‘What are we doing after this?’ You know, I’ve been playing the same character for eight years, and we’re going so far,” she noted. “What’s the plan? How are we going to move through the next steps of getting back on your feet and being able to be in the world again? We’re not a drama where we sit around in our underwear and chat on the couch. We’ve got to get back to work.”
She concluded: “So at what point are we going to address the reality of this scenario, and we are, we are doing it in the best way that we can with our show, like the way we do it on a procedural. But you know, as much as it scared me, I was terrified to go into that space at the end. I’m finding it really interesting to play my character now and finding these beats of when I can insert this stuff and when to work. And it’s just a challenge. It just feels like we’re doing a new show again. Do you know what I mean? And maybe that’s a gift.”
FBI airs on CBS Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
