We Love A Good FBI Chase Scene Too, But The Franchise Needs To Stop Relying On Them So Damn Much

The FBI chase scene is so common that I can’t remember the last time an episode didn’t have one… if ever.

These scenes are meant to get viewers hearts’ pumping as our favorite FBI agents push through crowds, jump fences, or dodge traffic to get close enough to tackle a fleeing suspect.

A good chase is exciting, but come on! There were two chase scenes on FBI Season 7 Episode 14, and the overkill detracted from an otherwise exciting episode.

The FBI Chase Scene Would Be More Exciting If It Were Less Predictable

Chases can make an episode more exciting, but I’d like them better if they weren’t part of every episode.

If you watch all three current FBI shows, this season you’ve gotten at least three chases a night, sometimes more.

Instead of it being a surprising event that suggests a perp is particularly desperate or rebellious, it’s a predictable part of the FBI franchise.

It even comes at around the same time each episode. It’s rare that the first chase doesn’t come within the first 20 minutes.

When you can tell what time it is by how fast the FBI agents are running, something is wrong — especially when some of these chases feel more like filler than an organic part of the story.

The Ubiquitous FBI Chase Scene Makes The Shows Too Formulaic

TV feels like it’s too oversaturated with police procedurals, and scenes like these FBI chase scenes are part of the reason.

When there’s a chase at 20 minutes whether the episode needs it or not, and there are three such shows on in the same night, it makes it feel like the FBI procedurals are all the same.

Sameness is comforting for those who love the formula and boring for those who don’t, and in FBI’s case, it’s a shame because the shows aren’t really carbon copies of one another.

While the original FBI focuses mostly on domestic and foreign terrorism cases, FBI: Most Wanted is all about hunting down violent fugitives who went on killing sprees for a variety of reasons.

Meanwhile, FBI: International (for now) offers a fascinating glimpse into an elite team that works cases abroad that are relevant to US interests.

Still, all three shows have constant chases and sometimes have gunfights where the bad guys have automatic weapons that way outpower law enforcement’s single shooters.

That can make them feel interchangeable despite the completely different premises.

I’m Not Saying Never To Have An FBI Chase Scene, But It Doesn’t Have To Be Constant, Either

These constant chase scenes aren’t realistic.

Most real-life FBI agents focus on surveillance, not chasing errant perps, so these action-oriented scenes are incongruous, to say the least.

Additionally, they take away from real action scenes when they’re overused.

For example, the sequence on FBI Season 7 Episode 14, where OA had to try to stop a speeding train — mostly on his own — was heart-pounding.

So why exactly did we need two chase scenes in that episode, especially when it would have done just as well for the cops to stake out that delivery dude’s truck and tackle him when he returned from wherever he’d run off to?

Chase scenes add something when they’re an organic part of the plot, but too many times I’ve seen nonsense like this:

• Chases that only last a few seconds (what the hell is the point of that?)
• Chases when a different strategy would work just as well, if not better
• Chases when the suspect has no real reason to flee

These kinds of unnecessary chases feel like filler rather than a necessary part of the story. They waste time that could be used for something else.

On the other hand, sometimes an FBI chase scene is completely warranted.

I don’t mind these sequences as much on FBI: Most Wanted. The series is about the Fugitive Task Force, so they’re going to constantly cross paths with the kind of perps who are inclined to run away.

A scared suspect — a kid, a person who has had a ton of bad experiences with cops, a person whose abusive spouse threatened to get them arrested for something fake — would absolutely run away from the FBI, so chase scenes with them make sense.

All I’m saying is that this trope is becoming a cliche, and the FBI writers should ask themselves if they really need this chase scene before they write it into a given episode.

What Do You Think About The FBI Chase Scene Habit?

I could go on and on about how much stronger FBI would be without so many chases, but I’ve made my point.

What do you think?

Are there too many chase scenes, or do you live for this sequence in each episode?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comments to discuss your thoughts.

FBI Tuesdays begin on CBS at 8/7c. Each episode streams on Peacock on the Wednesday following its broadcast.

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