There may be a lot less of Sheryll Barnes on FBI: Most Wanted soon.
Actress Roxy Sternberg has confirmed that she’s pregnant and expecting a child in April. This means some changes for her FBI agent character, which could shift up some storylines for the series.
Barnes and her challenges on FBI: Most Wanted
Among the characters introduced on the backdoor pilot for FBI: Most Wanted, Barnes was a no-nonsense former New York City cop who had been in the same Academy class as FBI agent Stuart Scola (John Boyd).
While tough, Barnes is empathetic and tries to reach some witnesses and victims on cases. She’s even been known to empathize with a killer whose motives aren’t as dark as they seemed.
Married to Charlotte Gaines, Barnes has had tension such as taking back an old undercover identity with an ex-lover. Tensions grew with Charlotte’s pregnancy and the pair arguing about Charlotte being a stay-at-home mom rather than going back to work.
Their arguments ended in a thrilling Christmas episode where Charlotte went into labor during a mall shooting. She gave birth to a son, with her and Barnes adjusting to parenthood.
Now, in a dose of irony, it’s Barnes’ actress that’s about to have a child.
How will Sternberg’s pregnancy affect Barnes on FBI: Most Wanted?
Sternberg took to her Twitter just before New Year’s Day to confirm her pregnancy with a due date of April.
There has been no sign of Barnes being pregnant on the series, although the last few episodes have had Barnes wearing long coats and filmed in close-ups.
With FBI: Most Wanted having filmed a few more episodes, there is the question of how they will handle the likely need for Barnes to be absent when Sternberg goes on maternity leave.
As it happens, the franchise is used to this. For example, when Missy Peregrym (Maggie) became pregnant in Season 2 of FBI, they had her written off with Maggie taking a secret assignment.
Likewise, Keisha Castle-Hughes gave birth over the summer of 2021. As a result, Hana was absent for the first four episodes of FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 with the excuse of visiting her sick mother.
It’s possible that Barnes may decide to settle some tension with Charlotte and take a break from the team to focus on her newborn son. There’s also the possibility of sending her on a special assignment or even being shot in the line of duty and having to recover.
This may also mean a replacement agent to take her spot and fill out the team. When Maggie went on her assignment, Tracy Spiridakos played her Chicago P.D. role of Hailey Upton to take her place.
There is no confirmation on what direction the series will take, but this development does mean it’s likely Barnes will be absent for more episodes of FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 as the actress prepares for a huge real-life development.
FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 returns with new episodes Tuesday, February 1 at 10/9c on CBS.