Say Goodbye to Ivan Ortiz — Miguel Gomez Has Left ‘FBI: Most Wanted’
Published June 4 2022, 12:33 p.m. ET
The FBI universe giveth, and the FBI universe taketh away. Not long after Dylan McDermott joined FBI: Most Wanted as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, fans learned they had seen the last of Special Agent Ivan Ortiz, played by Southpaw actor Miguel Gomez.
So, why did Miguel Gomez leave FBI: Most Wanted, anyway?
Miguel joined the CBS procedural midway through its second season, with Ivan joining the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force after stints with the LAPD’s gang unit and the FBI’s counter-terror unit. But FBI: Most Wanted’s Season 3 finale, apparently, was the actor’s final episode…
Miguel Gomez’s exit was reportedly a creative decision.
Deadline reported on Friday, June 3, that Miguel would be leaving FBI: Most Wanted and that his departure was “believed to be a creative decision,” so it sounds like the decision for him to leave the show wasn’t Miguel’s.
If it’s any consolation, Ivan isn’t leaving without an explanation. In the Season 3 finale, May 24’s “A Man Without a Country,” viewers heard that the character headed back to California to take care of his sick father.
He’s not the first ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ cast member to leave the show.
The cast of FBI: Most Wanted has had some major turnover. Miguel joined the show after the departure of Nathaniel Arcand, who played Clinton Skye. Kellan Lutz left Most Wanted at the start of Season 3, with his character, Kenny Crosby, facing a long recovery from a gunshot wound. Then, YaYa Gosselin, who plays Tali LaCroix, went from full-time to recurring star early in Season 3. And lead character Jess LaCroix died later in the season, after Julian McMahon opted to depart the series.
The show is coming back for Seasons 4 and 5.
Last month, CBS gave two-season renewals to all three shows in its FBI franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That means, at the very least, fans will get a fifth and sixth season of flagship show FBI, a fourth and fifth season of FBI: Most Wanted, and a second and third season of FBI: International.
“The FBIs are one of the most successful brands in the entire TV landscape and a powerful cornerstone of our No. 1 lineup,” Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement at the time. “They’ve attracted a dedicated, loyal fan base, thanks to the extraordinary vision of executive producer Dick Wolf and the talents of all three outstanding casts and creative teams. I know we and our viewers look forward to two additional seasons of engaging, heroic stories.”
Miguel has a ton of other TV credits.
He may be unemployed, but don’t count Miguel out! With a filmography as long as his, he’s bound to get more work soon. The 36-year-old starred on the FX vampire thriller The Strain, playing former gangster Augustin “Gus” Elizalde. He starred in the Showtime comedy SMILF, playing baby daddy Rafi. And he recurred on L.A.’s Finest, playing boxer Ricky Leon. So something tells us we’ve seen the last of Ivan on screen but not Miguel.