Lisette Olivera leaving ‘FBI’ after just a few episodes as series regular

Lisette Olivera’s time with the feds is already up.

Having joined the CBS procedural FBI as a series regular over the summer, the actress is exiting the series after filming a few episodes, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed. Olivera is slated to debut as Behavioral Analysis Unit Agent Syd Ortiz the fourth episode of season 7, “Doubted,” airing Nov. 12.

Syd was intended to be a permanent new partner for John Boyd’s Stuart Scola following the departure of Katherine Rebee Kane’s Tiffany Wallace, who left the show in the season 7 premiere. Kane had spent three seasons on the show, replacing Ebonée Noel’s intelligence analyst Kristen Chazal.

According to Deadline Hollywood, which first reported the news, there was some concern that 25-year-old Olivera was miscast in the role, as she seemed too young to professionally partner with 43-year-old Boyd.

Olivera will appear in a handful episodes that have already been shot for season 7. Her first episode will introduce Syd to the team after her sister is the victim of an attempted kidnapping and sexual assault. It’s unclear at this point whether Scola will receive another replacement partner.

Olivera’s breakout role came in Disney+’s National Treasure: Edge of History, the spinoff series for the Nicolas Cage-led National Treasure franchise. Catherine Zeta-Jones and franchise regulars Harvey Keitel and Justin Bartha played supporting roles in the series, but it was canceled after a single season.

FBI also stars Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, and Alana de la Garza. The series was renewed for three more seasons during its sixth year, which means it will run a minimum of nine seasons. 

FBI has also spawned two spinoff series: FBI: Most Wanted, which debuted in 2020, and FBI: International, which premiered in 2021. The three FBI shows aligned for a crossover event last year that saw Sisto’s Jubal Valentine team up with Most Wanted cast members Dylan McDermott, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Roxy Sternberg, as well as International stars Luke Kleintank, Carter Redwood, and Heida Reed.

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