FBI and FBI: Most Wanted crossover

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FBI and FBI: Most Wanted crossover – a shorter, easy-to-understand summary

A two-part crossover between CBS’s FBI and FBI: Most Wanted aired on March 24, 2020. Part 1 is called “American Dreams” (FBI Season 2, Episode 18) and Part 2 is called “Reveille” (FBI: Most Wanted Season 1, Episode 9). The event brings together the main teams from both shows as they chase a dangerous white supremacist plot while also tying into personal stories faced by the agents.

Who’s in it
- Regulars from both series appear across the two parts, including Jess LaCroix and his FBI Fugitive Task Force, plus Isobel Castille, Jubal Valentine, and other familiar FBI characters, alongside the FBI: Most Wanted team led by Jess LaCroix’s counterparts.
- Central villains: Tyler Kane, a violent white supremacist, and his wife Emma Kane.
- Other key players: Owen Jamison (a child involved in the case), Owen’s father who makes a desperate choice, Sam Givens (an earlier suspect), and various ICE agents who complicate the story.

What happens
- A school bus carrying 26 elementary students is hijacked, triggering a desperate nationwide effort to find the kids.
- The FBI teams from New York join forces with the FBI: Most Wanted team. They uncover a ransom plot tied to Tyler Kane and Emma Kane and a larger white-supremacist movement.
- The investigation reveals twists: one of the suspects is someone the teams had arrested before; a hidden base is found at a closed amusement park called “Play Town”; they rescue many kids but Owen Jamison goes missing.
- As the case unfolds, it becomes clear that Emma Kane is involved in even more violent acts and has posted messages aimed at triggering a white supremacist uprising. Kane learns of the FBI’s involvement and uses manipulation and threats to try to derail the investigation.
- The investigations also touch a personal thread: Jess LaCroix’s young daughter, Tali, is caught up in an ICE-related kidnapping crisis that drives his urgency to protect his family and teammates.
- The teams uncover a broader conspiracy that includes corrupt ICE agents and a far-right online community called Ten-Fifteen.com. They work to dismantle the plot, locate Emma and her accomplices, and disarm a bomb planned to target a citizenship ceremony.
- In the climax, Emma is fatally shot by a sniper to prevent a catastrophic explosion. The bomb is disarmed, and the main suspects are either killed or captured.
- The story ends on a hopeful note: OA’s aunt Yara Mahmoud is sworn in as an American citizen, bringing a personal victory to the characters amid the ongoing fight against extremism.

Why it matters
- The crossover is part of the shared universe between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, building on a backdoor pilot that introduced the Most Wanted team to FBI viewers.
- It was designed to showcase how the two shows’ teams handle high-stakes cases that cross jurisdictional and personal lines, with a strong emphasis on teamwork and the consequences of extremism.

Reception
- The two parts drew strong viewership, with Part 1 attracting about 10.7 million live viewers and Part 2 about 9.5 million in live viewing. Both episodes were among the highest-rated of their respective series at the time.
- The event was originally planned to air a week earlier, but aired on March 24, 2020, as a two-part event.