Tank Is the Breakout Star of ‘FBI: International’ and the Team’s “Secret Weapon”
Published Sept. 21 2021, 10:06 p.m. ET
There’s no question that CBS’s FBI franchise of TV drama shows has been successful. Now that it has launched another spinoff, we have new characters to root for, and there’s already a clear breakout star. Tank on FBI: International is going to become a quick favorite. And here’s what you need to know.
Tank from ‘FBI: International’ is one of several new characters.
The new spinoff, FBI: International, is the third in the franchise that follows FBI agents and different teams throughout the agency. The latest series introduces fans to a new bureau within the organization.
“The third iteration of the successful FBI brand follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team,” the synopsis of the show reads. “Headquartered in Budapest, they travel the world with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people.”
The characters on the Fly Team include several accomplished and dedicated leaders who put their personal lives on the backburner for their jobs. They are the same level of amazing as the other characters across the FBI franchise, all of which were created by executive producer Dick Wolf.
However, what this team has on their side is something none of the others have. He’s being called the international team’s “secret weapon.” And he’s bound to become a very fast favorite of the show.
Meet Tank (played by Green), the FBI Fly Team’s trusty Schutzhund dog who is nearly always by the side of the team’s commander in charge, Special Agent Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank).
While this is the third installment of the franchise, it’s the first time there’s a dog team member on the show. And the fact we haven’t seen it before is the reason why the show went in this direction.
“We thought it would be fun if Forrester had a dog that had a little history with the FBI,” showrunner Derek Haas says. “And it was unique; you hadn’t seen it before. We do have to have a little bit of a signature from the other two shows and having a dog running around with the team we thought was cool.”
It makes it even more fun that the character was thought out and didn’t just happen. And the fact that Tank is a Schutzhund is no mistake either. “Dick had read this article about these Schutzhunds, which are police-trained dogs in Europe,” Derek shares. “So, that became the launching point and now we have Tank.”
It became apparent pretty quickly that the addition of a dog in the cast — and one that has history within the agency built into the storyline — has been a hit with the fanbase.
