CBS Replaces Maggie & OA As FBI’s Best Duo In Season 9

Published Nov 3, 2026, 11:14 AM EST Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. Warning: this article contains spoilers for FBI season 9, episode 5, "Atonement."The early episodes of FBI season 9 churned through the plot at a fast pace, thanks to the clock ticking on OA's high-stakes undercover op. The fallout needed to be explored immediately after the case was closed, so a lot of the focus in the first four episodes in CBS'S fall 2026 schedule was on OA and how his ordeal affected Maggie. That wasn't too surprising, since they've had the strongest partnership since the very beginning of FBI, but the unsteady status quo of their relationship now means that another partnership could rise up as the drama's top duo. The cast already went through a major change in the early episodes of season 9, thanks to FBI resolving OA's undercover arc over the span of just three episodes. There was no question that OA would be partnered with Maggie again, which meant that Roland Buck III's exit as Isaiah was inevitable. Reuniting the longtime partners didn't reset them back to their dynamic from season 8, however. OA has been keeping secrets about his ordeal from Maggie, and even lying to Zara about confiding in his partnership. Their solid relationship has rarely been shakier. In "Atonement," Scola was facing a problem in his personal life to go along with the team's case of the week. The return of Shantel VanSanten as Nina is tied to a conundrum that could change everything for the agent, and consequently for his partner as well. FBI may have elevated Scola and Eva to become the best duo of season 9, just in time for everything to change. FBI's Other Partnership Needed To Develop Courtesy of MovieStillsDB After FBI spent the better part of a season auditioning new agents as a partner to replace Tiff for Scola, the drama seemingly settled on Emily Alabi as Agent Dani Rhodes as the newest member of the 26 Fed team. After Dani was unceremoniously killed off, however, the search was back on for a new permanent partner for Scola. Now that Juliana Aidén Martinez's is more than a season into working with Scola, she seems to be sticking around for good, so it was past time for FBI to focus on what's making this partnership work. Episodes have shown that they have each other's back, but there was just no personal touch on the level of what Maggie has with OA, or even like what Scola had with Tiff. "Atonement" finally filled in some gaps for the two agents by giving them some strong moments between all the action of chasing down prison escapees across New York City. Since Scola's relationship with Nina fortunately means that a romance is all but impossible between the partners, their purely platonic moments were exactly what the episode needed. Eva was the only person at 26 Fed who noticed that Scola was less than overjoyed about Nina's new job opportunity, and the only person he ultimately confided in about it. She had learned enough about him to know that prying throughout the case wouldn't work, and he responded well by the end of the hour. Add on the classic crime drama shot of one agent handing their weapon over to their partner before heading into a hostage situation, and their partnership has never been stronger. They just needed the full eighth season and another five episodes to get there. The Timing Could Be Terrible For Scola And Eva Courtesy of MovieStillsDB Unfortunately, FBI may have spent "Atonement" building Scola and Eva up only to tear them back down sooner rather than later. After Scola confirmed to the whole team that Nina had earned a promotion to run her own task force at the Bureau, he finally admitted to Eva why he wasn't jumping for joy: the promotion would require Nina to move to San Diego, which opens the path for Scola to leave the New York office as well. Ironically, Eva's newly close relationship with her partner could lead to them splitting up. She helped him understand that he should be the one to make a sacrifice for Nina if that's what it takes to support her and keep their family together. Scola called his wife to let her know that he changed his mind. While she didn't answer, he told her over voicemail that taking the job would be "worth it" and they'll "figure it out." The stage is set for Shantel VanSanten's upcoming return as Nina, and possibly for John Boyd's upcoming exit as Scola If Scola is heading off to San Diego with Nina before the end of season 9, then his bond with Eva might be short-lived, and Maggie and OA could soon retake their position as FBI's best duo. Find out with new episodes of FBI on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, before new episodes of CIA. Release Date September 25, 2018 Network CBS Directors Dick Wolf Cast Missy Peregrym Maggie Bell Zeeko Zaki Omar Adom OA Zidan Writers Dick Wolf Creator(s) Dick Wolf, Craig Turk