Furious (2026) is a police procedural crime thriller starring Emmy Rossum as FBI agent Alice Black, alongside actress Quincy Tyler Bernstine, who plays FBI supervisory agent (SSA) Nora Washington, the head of the New York FBI’s sex crimes squad.
Premise: FBI agent Alice Black is on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating female serial killer. Both walk their own paths toward justice, and as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur. (IMDb)
Just as in real life for most female serial killers, instead of targeting random victims, the TV series’ female villain, Catherine Grace, a survivor of sex trafficking-turned-serial killer, murders her male victims as an act of revenge. That’s what brings the FBI into the case. The writers for Furious layer authenticity onto the plot by having the FBI team up with homicide detectives from the NYPD.
The FBI agents assigned to identify and capture Catherine Grace are almost as damaged as she is. We learn that, before she joined the FBI, Agent Alice was a survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend.
Although initially assigned to answer calls coming into the New York Division’s tip line, she desperately wants to work in the sex trafficking unit. That squad is headed up by SSA Nora, who, due to trauma from working child predator and sex trafficking cases and investigative regrets, is a functioning alcoholic. Alice and Nora are both dedicated and determined to finding justice for victims of sex crimes.
I love Furious and these deeply flawed FBI characters. The subtitle for the show should be—Hurt people help people.
If you also liked Furious and enjoy reading about flawed FBI characters, I think you’ll like my crime thriller, Pay To Play. I’ll send you a free e-book of Pay To Play from BookFunnel to download to your e-reader when you Join my reader team (limited-time offer).
As I watched Furious, I thought of two topics I could address for teachable moments about FBI procedures, policies, and programs—How incoming tip calls to the FBI are handled and what services are available to agents experiencing substance abuse and mental health issues.
When I was an active agent, we served on rotation as the duty agent, speaking to callers and walk-ins wanting to provide information or file complaints related to federal crimes and threats to national security. In Furious, Agent Alice’s initial assignment is to field these calls from the public.
But procedures have changed since back in my day and unless someone working now tells me differently, I’m assuming that in real life, those calls are being redirected to the National Threats Operations Center (NTOC), otherwise known as the FBI’s centralized call center. Located in Clarksburg, West Virginia, at the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division facility, it’s a 24/7 hub for processing tips from the public. Threat intake examiners field telephone complaints for all 56 field offices as well as manage all electronic complaints submitted to the FBI through www.tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
The calls are logged and evaluated to determine the best course of action. If there is a threat to life, the call is expeditiously directed to the appropriate local FBI field office or regional fusion center.
The portrayals of Alice as a survivor of domestic violence and Nora with her drinking problem remind us that agents are real people and some come with baggage from prior traumas.
I knew of an agent who, prior to being hired, had suffered a sexual assault while out running. Another agent was raised by heroin-addicted parents. Their past trauma did not preclude them from being excellent agents, but their experiences, at times, may have affected the way they saw their roles as investigators. However, sometimes, as in SSA Nora’s situation, an agent’s emotional stressors come directly from their Bureau assignment. FBI employees can take advantage of counseling services offered through the Bureau’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
The EAP’s purpose is to offer support to employees undergoing stress from a variety of issues, including marital and family problems, financial concerns, alcohol and/or drug abuse, and depression and anxiety.
In the EAP statement of policy, the FBI views drug abuse and alcohol abuse as treatable health problems that will receive the same help as any other health problem. However, when illegal drug use is involved, an employee’s participation in the EAP will not preclude the FBI from taking appropriate disciplinary/administrative action. Learn more here – Employee Assistance Program Policy Guide.
Listen to these FBI Case File Review episodes to gain an understanding of how working on child predator and sex trafficking cases can affect the mental well-being of FBI agents involved in emotionally demanding investigations:
371: Carrie Landau – Justice For Desiree, Teen Sold To Trafficker
126: Jeff Rinek – Yosemite Murders, In the Name of the Children (Part 1)
127: Jeff Rinek – Yosemite Park Murders, Child Predators, PTSD (Part 2)
We’ll get to see if Agent Alice and SSA Nora seek help from the EAP to heal their emotional issues. It’s already been announced that the show’s been picked up for a second season.
The first season of Furious is available to stream on Hulu. You can watch the trailer here.
