FBI has undergone a few cast changes since premiering on CBS in 2018.
Actress Sela Ward left the show following the end of its first season. Shortly thereafter, Ebonee Noel exited as FBI analyst Kristen Chazal. And John Boyd's Agent Scola has had a revolving door of partners since joining the show in 2019.
However, the show has a foursome who have been part of it since the very beginning: Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, and James Chen. These four actors have not only demonstrated their commitment to FBI, but are also a big reason for the show's success.
But while most of their characters have been given big storylines and fleshed-out backgrounds, there is one agent still waiting for his turn in the spotlight.
FBI owes Ian Lim a storyline
James Chen has been portraying FBI analyst Ian Lim for the past eight years, and yet we know next to nothing about his character.
Ian is one of FBI's original tech experts. Before the JOC had a full team of speaking characters, it was just Ian and Kristen working together to help Maggie and OA take down bad guys. The character has been an integral part of the show's landscape since the very beginning. Unfortunately, he is now being overshadowed by his colleagues.
Don't get me wrong, Kelly and Elise are great additions to the show. They bring a nice synergy to the JOC, and it's nice to see some of the FBI's greatest tech minds work together to lay the groundwork for Maggie and OA to apprehend criminals. However, when it comes to their analysts, FBI has trouble balancing storylines.
Both Elise and Kelly have had significant storylines focused solely on them. Kelly was involved in a hostage situation, which allowed audiences to learn more about him and his abilities as an agent. Similarly, in season 3, Elise was targeted by one of the show's most dangerous criminals. Through this storyline, we learned more about Elise's personal life, and the character also had a PTSD arc that carried over several episodes.
But for Ian? Nothing. FBI is almost nine seasons in, and we know no more about Ian than we did in season 1.
After Kelly and Elise were given individual storylines, it seemed Ian might get one as well. However, that never happened. Worse still, it doesn't seem like the writers are planning anything for season 9.
James Chen is a talented actor, and Ian has been a consistent face on the show since season 1. He deserves his own storyline. In fact, FBI would be remiss to ignore one of their best characters. There is so much potential for an Ian-centric episode; the writers need to take advantage of it.
FBI season 9 premieres Oct. 5, at 8/7c on CBS.
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