Scola's wife is in-demand in the world of FBI.
Over a year after FBI: Most Wanted's surprising cancellation, Scola's romantic partner returned to the small screen with her very own mission thanks to FBI season 8. Following an undercover operation that went sideways, Nina found help from her former co-workers at the New York City field office, resulting in a happy reunion for Dick Wolf's flagship CBS series. Beyond that, FBI season 8, episode 11, aptly titled "Confetti", also saw her and Scola finally tying the knot.
Deciding to commit to each other felt right, considering everything that happened in FBI by then, which included Isobel's near-death experience and Dani Rhodes' jaw-dropping demise in its 2025-2026 TV cycle premiere. Grappling with the idea that either of them could end up dying on the job motivated the much-anticipated nuptials — something that FBI: Most Wanted failed to tackle. Looking ahead, there are questions about Nina's potential return in FBI season 9.
Talking to TVLine, showrunner Mike Weiss was candid about the chances of seeing Nina in the upcoming cycle. He admitted that like the fans, they, too, want to see Shantel VanSanten to return, but cautioned that she is a very busy actor. Despite that, Weiss reminded fans that with the pair being married, Nina will always be a part of FBI's story. Read his full quote below:
We love having Shantel. Unfortunately, the problem is she’s a very busy actress. We’re not the only people that love Shantel, but we would love to see her again. ... [Nina] definitely exists in the mind of the audience. We know that Scola is wrestling with the added responsibility of now being a down-on-paper married man with a wife and a kid back home that he’s got to get back to. He’s got to stay safe and get home at the end of every day, and that is a responsibility that he does not wear lightly.
Before joining FBI: Most Wanted, VanSanten was originally a character on FBI. There, she became an important part of the Fugitive Task Force, as the spinoff gave her a much larger role. The trade-off was seeing her and Scola separate, as they worked on two different teams. Dick Wolf's CBS franchise did its best to ensure that the romantic partners were connected, even doing mini-cameos to move their story forward despite the lack of a proper crossover.
Now that FBI: Most Wanted is no more, the chances of seeing Nina, or anyone else from that show, have been reduced to very little to none. So, seeing her come back in FBI season 8 and be a part of a compelling professional and personal narrative was indeed very special. That said, it also left many wondering when she could appear again, considering the lack of urgency to feature her again. Weissman's comment is admittedly frustrating, but at least the public knows that they want to feature her as frequently as possible.
Elsewhere in FBI season 9 is the ongoing story involving OA going undercover. So far, only Maggie and Isobel appear to know the ploy, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility if the series eventually brings in the rest of the office for the mission. Luckily, fans won't have to wait long, as FBI is confirmed to return as part of CBS's fall 2026 lineup.
CIA Season 2's Fate Officially Decided By CBS After Rocky Season 1 Production
The fate of CBS' new FBI spinoff series, CIA, has now been decided.
CBS confirmed that CIA has officially been renewed for season 2, following impressive viewership numbers from its series premiere. According to Paramount, the premiere episode saw 8.4 million multiplatform viewers via broadcast and streaming within the first seven days of its release.
Ratings for the first three episodes of the series showed a 39% improvement on Monday at 10 p.m. compared to the same timeslot in fall 2025.
Behind the scenes, though, CIA has had a rocky production. FBI: Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins was initially in charge of the series, but Warren Leight later replaced him. That wasn't the end of the turnover, though, as he eventually departed, along with executive producer Eriq La Salle. Mike Weiss, who was the showrunner on the original FBI series, was hired as the CIA showrunner.
All of this turmoil, plus Michael Michele's departure from the cast, caused production delays, and CBS decided to give CIA a mid-season 2026 premiere after previously announcing it would debut in fall 2025.
CIA stars Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss as CIA Agent Colin Glass and FBI Agent Bill Goodman, respectively, who are tasked with working together on a secretive joint CIA/FBI task force. The two agents couldn't be more different, with the latter a rule-follower and the former more mischievous in nature.
While on the job together, Glass and Goodman stay in the shadows as they solve domestic and international crimes away from the eyes of the public.
Before CIA, Ellis was best known for his role as Lucifer Morningstar on the Fox/Netflix drama Lucifer, while Gehlfuss has starred in The Newsroom, Shameless, and Chicago Med (another Dick Wolf-created series).
Their CIA co-stars include Necar Zadegan and Natalee Linez. Zadegan, who plays Nikki Reynard, will guest star in the March 30 episode of FBI season 8, in which the Deputy Chief of Station is called in to help following a double homicide. The episode will mark Maggie Bell's return to the team after suffering a major loss.
Wolf created the hugely popular Law & Order and One Chicago franchises on NBC, and then went on to create the FBI crime procedural franchise for CBS. The first FBI series debuted in 2018 with star Missy Peregrym and is currently airing its eighth season.
Two years later, the first spinoff, FBI: Most Wanted, launched and aired for six seasons. FBI: International followed in its footsteps and aired for four seasons.
CIA, which currently has a 63% critic score and 51% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, marks the third FBI spinoff, with Wolf, Weiss, Ken Girotti, Paul Cabbad, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen, Anastasia Puglisi, and Peter Jankowski serving as executive producers.
CIA airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on CBS.
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