Warning: this article contains spoilers for FBI season 8, episode 21, called "Long Shot."A change involving Maggie and OA in FBI threatens to end the procedural. Season 8 is nearly over on CBS, and the upcoming finale will wrap the franchise's first season after the cancellations of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. The original series has still been going strong without its two spinoffs, and Maggie and OA's partnership remains at the heart of the action and drama so far.
The 26 Fed unit's investigations have gone as smoothly as could be for a season that started with a big death and a close call for Isobel. In "Long Shot," however, Isobel's decision to pass on the ADIC promotion has consequences for OA when he disobeys an order on the field from new ADIC Lawrence Green.
This leads to a temporary reassignment for OA that was great for getting more of FBI's newest agent, Zara Ushruf, but less great for fans who love Maggie and OA working together. With just one episode left before the final credits roll on season 8, the twist may have been setting up a major change for them in the future.
The primetime drama is already guaranteed through season 9 in CBS' 2026-2027 TV schedule thanks to a three-season renewal back in 2024, so there's no reason to worry too much about its longevity just yet. Nevertheless, the combination of a potential big development for OA after "Long Shot" and Maggie's solo investigations could backfire beyond season 8.
FBI's Potential OA Season 9 Promotion Explained
OA gets on the bad side of ADIC Green in "Long Shot" when he goes against orders during a SWAT raid. Despite Green's lack of field experience, the ADIC holds OA accountable for terrorists getting away. He's punished by being sent on a boring surveillance op, and Zara's presence is the only redeeming factor. Frustrated, OA vents about the situation, saying "the Bureau is bigger than any one man. It is bigger than all of us. It is an ideal that we strive for, and it is the greatest privilege of my life."
The surveillance operation turns out to be key to closing the case, and OA saves the day by following his instincts. Inspired by his speech, Zara takes the heat from their boss for how they went rogue and laments, "I don't know if this Bureau can live up to everything that you said, but I know that we have a better chance if you're in charge one day."
"One day" doesn't mean OA is going to move up the ranks immediately, especially when Isobel and Jubal are still rungs above him on the leadership ladder. But a seed certainly has been planted, and OA cracked the case by listening to his instincts rather than orders. He could be ready for a promotion.
Zara introducing the idea at the end of a season could be a hint of what's coming in the fall, especially if the episode next week is as action-packed as FBI finales usually are. The events of episode 21 could mean a lot when OA's story picks up again in season 9, with or without Maggie full-time.
Can FBI Survive Without Maggie & OA's Partnership?
While Scola has changed partners many times over the years on FBI, Maggie and OA have been solid from the start. Aside from the incidents that temporarily took her out of action to accommodate Missy Peregrym's maternity leave, they've almost always been together, which has worked wonderfully for the show. But could it change?
A split might not have seemed likely prior to the events of "Long Shot," but the idea of a promotion for OA raises some new possibilities. Maggie spent several episodes of season 8 working with retired BAU profiler Peter Olsen, which already meant some separate storylines for the partners.
FBI may have even been testing the waters over the past couple years. Deadline reported in 2024 that series regulars would begin to appear in fewer episodes rather than the full season. Zeeko Zaki and Missy Peregrym's weeks off haven't overlapped in season 8, leading to each agent working more with Scola and Eva.
If OA does pursue a promotion while Maggie continues to develop as a profiler, FBI could split them up more frequently, which could cost CBS' longtime hit something that made it so successful early on. While this is one of the most procedural shows on television, Maggie and OA's relationship has been the ongoing thread to emotionally invest in.
Other shows in the larger Dick Wolf TV franchise are widely known for their partnerships, including Benson and Stabler on Law & Order: SVU going back to 1999. One of the most talked-about elements of the 2026 One Chicago crossover event was the reunion of popular former partners (and spouses) Upton and Halstead.
Maggie and OA are the prime partners of FBI, and it's hard to imagine the show continuing successfully without them together. Still, none of this is to say that viewers should count on seeing a split anytime soon, or even if OA can get a promotion while Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, and Alana De La Garza are all on the show.
Tune in to CBS on Monday, May 18 at 9 p.m. ET for the season 8 finale of FBI.
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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