Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment has a little bit of everything. And though police procedurals with acronyms for names aren’t the only thing the production company is known for (remember NBC’s 1992 sci-fi series Mann & Machine!?!?), there’s no arguing that FBI is one of the jewels of the crown for Dick Wolf and CBS. The show was renewed for three seasons last year, and is now heading into the second of those confirmed seasons: Season 8.
But it was a hard year for the franchise, nonetheless. The show’s two spin-offs, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, were cancelled, and though there’s another new spin-off, CIA, coming this midseason, this is the first time in years that FBI will premiere without any other interconnected show.
Season 7 ended with quite a cliffhanger, as Forefront, an extremist, anti-government group, attempted a coup that would have put it at the head of the agency in the finale. The team managed to thwart them, but the episode still ended with Isobel (Alana de la Garza) on the brink of death. Will she return for Season 8, or will Maggie (Missy Peregrym), Omar (Zeeko Zaki), Scola (John Boyd), and Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) have to go on without her?
Considering that ending, fans have been waiting impatiently for the show’s return for Season 8. We still don’t have many concrete answers about FBI Season 8, but here’s what we do know, including when the show premieres on CBS and Paramount+, who will be returning for the season, and what could happen during it.
FBI Season 8 release date
FBI Season 8 will premiere on Monday, Oct. 13, at 9/8c on CBS. The show is moving from Tuesdays to Mondays, and it will now air alone, instead of airing as a three-hour franchise block, after the cancellations of FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted. New FBI offshoot CIA was originally slated for fall and set to air after FBI, but that show has now been moved to midseason.
FBI Season 8 latest news
The focus during the offseason has been on what will happen to Isobel, but of course, when the show released the synopsis for the first episode of the season, titled “Takeover,” there was no clear answer about her fate. Instead, the synopsis reads: “After a federal judge disappears, a routine investigation takes a dark turn as the team uncovers that the judge had been searching for his missing son on a secluded island on the city’s edge, where authority has crumbled. Meanwhile, reality weighs heavy on Jubal as he takes on a new leadership role.”
Jubal taking on a new leadership role could be interpreted as a clue to Isobel’s fate. But showrunner Mike Weiss told TVLine that Jubal would be stepping in as SAC for Isobel, so that probably means she’s alive and recuperating. Weiss also confirmed Season 8 would begin just three days after Isobel’s collapse, and that answers about her fate would not be coming soon. “We definitely want to make you wait,” he teased.
Weiss didn’t want to confirm whether new cast member Juliana Aidén Martinez would indeed be playing Scola’s new partner, but he did speak about the possibility of Shantel VanSanten returning to the show as Nina to address the question of whether her marriage to Scola is a good idea. “We also want to see Nina as the badass, fugitive recovery specialist that she is, helping us out a bit here and there,” he said.
And as for Maggie’s love life, and whether there’ll ever be a romance in the cards for her and OA, Weiss teased, “Is there anyone out there who gets her the way OA does?” He added, “Dating as an adult can be hell, but she’s not giving up.”
What will FBI Season 8 be about?
FBI is a police procedural that follows the team at the New York field office of the criminal division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The show has spawned two now-cancelled spin-offs, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted. FBI: International followed a team of agents investigating crime and terrorism abroad, while FBI: Most Wanted followed the FBI’s New York Fugitive Task Force (FTF), which tracks the criminals on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
The upcoming spin-off, CIA, is set to focus on the agency’s New York office and is expected to crossover with the main FBI, just as the previous two spin-offs did. The show will star Lucifer’s Tom Ellis and Chicago Med’s Nick Gehlfuss alongside Michael Michele.
Who will be in FBI Season 8?
With a big asterisk next to Alana De La Garza’s name, considering the Season 7 finale cliffhanger, the main cast is expected to return for FBI Season 8. But there has been some cast turnover in FBI-land in the last few seasons. Katherine Renee Kane (Tiffany Wallace) left in the Season 7 premiere, and Lisette Olivera (Syd Ortiz) was cast in a series regular role as Scola’s new partner. But she exited after only a few episodes, with Emily Alabi (Dani Rhodes) joining the cast and teaming up with Scola. However, it has now been announced that she is also not sticking around. She will only return to close out her character’s story, and new hire Juliana Aidén Martinez, who starred in Law & Order: SVU last season, is expected to step in as Scola’s new partner.
FBI (Season 8) main cast:
Missy Peregrym as Maggie Bell
Zeeko Zaki as Omar Adom “OA” Zidan
Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine
Alana De La Garza as Isobel Castille
John Boyd as Stuart Scola
Taylor Anthony Miller as Kelly Moran
Vedette Lim as Elise Taylor
James Chen as Ian Lim
Is Alana de la Garza leaving FBI?
The answer isn’t clear yet, but signs point to no. Season 7, however, did give de la Garza a very good exit strategy, even if she ends up surviving her latest injuries, by planting the idea of retirement. For now, though, we’ll just have to wait for the specific answer of whether she survived and how.
In an interview with TV Insider after the finale, the actress shared her thoughts on what we could expect and said, “Literally, you have to tune in to see. It is a legit cliffhanger. It was very exciting and very fun to play, unlike anything I’ve ever played before for sure. So that was fun.”
How will CIA connect to FBI?
Two spin-offs down, one to go. CIA’s connection to FBI seems to be that the two shows will operate out of their respective New York office. Collaborations between the two are bound to happen, sooner or later. For now, CIA will be centered on two unlikely partners: a rule-breaking CIA case officer (Tom Ellis) and a by-the-book FBI agent (Nick Gehlfuss). Everyone loves an odd couple, especially in procedurals.
Ellis and Gehlfuss will be joined by Michael Michele in a supervisory capacity, and Natalee Linez as a CIA analyst. The first episode will be directed by Eriq La Salle, with David Hudgins serving as showrunner.
Where can I watch FBI?
All seasons of FBI are available to stream on Paramount+ with a subscription. Episodes are also available for purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
