Checking in with SHANTEL VANSANTEN

While “FBI: Most Wanted” has had its share of cast changes since it premiered, at least with the latest one, the performer and character are familiar. As executive producer Dick Wolf’s first “FBI” drama spinoff starts its fifth season Tuesday, Feb. 13, on CBS and Paramount+, Shantel VanSanten is moving the role of Special Agent Nina Chase — which she played as a “special guest star” on the parent show, particularly during star Missy Peregrym’s (“Rookie Blue”) most recent maternity leave — to “Most Wanted.” In effect, she’s succeeding Alexa Davalos (“The Man in the High Castle”), who has left the latter series after portraying Special Agent Kristin Gaines for the past two seasons. VanSanten’s arrival follows several other high-profile exits from “FBI: Most Wanted.” Julian McMahon (“Nip/Tuck”) departed in the third season, with Dylan McDermott (“The Practice”) then joining as the leader of the show’s investigative team; founding co-star Kellan Lutz (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2,” 2012) also left in Season 3, with Davalos replacing him; and Nathaniel Arcand (“Heartland”), who appeared as McMahon’s character’s brother-in-law and fellow agent, left after the first two seasons. With VanSanten resurfacing in the “FBI” world, she brings some rich history with her alter ego. Nina is now a mother; her child’s father being Special Agent Stuart Scola, the part portrayed in the original “FBI” by John Boyd (“24”). Given that relationship, and producer Wolf’s propensity for crossing characters over between shows in the same franchise (see: his “Law & Order” and “Chicago” domains for NBC), it’s likely that Nina and Scola will turn up in each other’s on-screen lives again sooner than later. Any constant TV viewer knows that VanSanten is quite used to series work, from “One Tree Hill” and “The Messengers” to “Shooter” and “For All Mankind.” Since she already has lived inside the mind of Nina Chase, that only can be an advantage for her as she reports for “FBI: Most Wanted” duty full time. Birthdate: July 25, 1985 Birthplace: Luverne, Minn. Current residences: Los Angeles and New York City Marital status: Separated Movie credits include: “American Murderer,” “Something Wicked,” “Remembrance,” “In My Pocket,” “The Final Destination,” “The Open Door,” “You and I,” “Savage Spirit” Other television credits include: “FBI,” “FBI: International,” “For All Mankind,” “The Boys,” “Scorpion,” “Love Blossoms,” “Shooter,” “Timeless,” “Rush Hour,” “The Flash,” “The Messengers,” “The Night Shift,” “Gang Related,” “The Glades,” “Beauty & the Beast,” “A Golden Christmas 3” (also known as “Love for Christmas”), “One Tree Hill,” “CSI: NY”