The actress returns to the CBS procedural on Tuesday's episode after giving birth to her daughter in June.
Missy Peregrym steps back into the world of FBI on Tuesday, five months after giving birth to her second child, daughter Mela, with husband Tom Oakley. On the CBS procedural, Peregrym's FBI Agent Maggie Bell returns to the field following her near-fatal sarin gas poisoning accident last season.
Ahead of her return episode, which finds Maggie and the team investigating a double homicide, Peregrym opened up about being back at work after maternity leave. She acknowledged that it was difficult at first to transition back into working mom mode.
"I was immersed in family life for six months, really taking my space to focus on the kids and connecting with Tom. I was nervous and sad to split my time again. But the second I went back to work and was surrounded by the team, I felt like I could do both things," Peregrym told ET over email. "I am grateful for the support at work; Mela has been great with the adjustment and I feel blessed to have her on set with me."
As this was the 40-year-old actress' second hiatus from FBI, having previously gone on maternity leave in season 2 to give birth to her first child (her character went on an undercover mission as a result), Peregrym admitted returning to the show felt different.
"It’s my second child so I am more relaxed with the pressures of breastfeeding and work. We’re not in the middle of a pandemic, so I am able to share my life more with the FBI team, which brings me a lot of joy," she shared. "And we’re in our fifth season so there’s less intensity compared to the earlier seasons of establishing a show. All to say, while it has been difficult some days, I’m incredibly happy."
When Maggie does get into police mode, she's not the same FBI agent she was prior to the sarin gas incident. The impact of the event plays out over the next two episodes and beyond as Maggie reintegrates herself back into the demands of the job.
"We have a two-episode arc to deal with Maggie’s return and the effects of the traumatic sarin gas event of last season," Peregrym previewed. "She’s undergone a lot of therapy both emotionally as well as physically, but her and OA (Zeeko Zaki) have some difficulty jumping back into their partnership easily."
"Maggie feels good about returning but nothing can really prepare her for how she will handle risky situations," she added later. "The pressure OA feels to protect her is actually hurting their dynamic and creates a more dangerous situation. This is what needs to be addressed!"
While the team welcomes Maggie with open arms following her recovery, OA has trouble reconciling with the fact that she's putting herself in harm's way once again as tension between the duo grows.
"I think Maggie has been under a lot of scrutiny from the FBI to make sure she’s healthy and ready to return, but OA hasn’t dealt with his experience yet, and it all comes to a head when she comes back," Peregrym teased. "They need to find a way to connect over the deeper issues."
FBI airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
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