The weeks are counting down till FBI returns to CBS for Season 8 within the 2025 TV schedule, not solely because the final FBI present standing after cancellations but in addition with some solid shakeups to ship. The community additionally not too long ago aired a rerun of a memorable Season 7 episode, referred to as “Détente,” that kicked off an particularly attention-grabbing arc for OA, so I flashed again to after I spoke with Zeeko Zaki about that storyline, its tragic end result, and what he then mentioned he’d “like to see” on the present together with his costars.
The solid shakeup that has been confirmed on the time of writing is the departure of Emily Alabi as Agent Dani Rhodes, regardless of Dani exhibiting that she was ride-or-die for the crew within the Season 7 finale. (You possibly can stream the finale with a Paramount+ subscription now.) Alabi had been FBI’s newest try to fill the emptiness left by Katherine Renee Kane’s Agent Tiffany Wallace, and the following try shall be Regulation & Order: SVU alum Juliana Aidén Martinez as a brand new agent. It stays to be seen if Alana De La Garza shall be again full-time after Isobel’s life-or-death cliffhanger within the fall, however I’m optimistic about getting Isobel again as SAC.
What about OA? The OA/Maggie partnership is one among my favorites in primetime, and a behind-the-scenes prank reveals that Zeeko Zaki and Missy Peregrym nonetheless appear to be getting alongside fairly effectively of their eighth season as castmates. Zaki’s character starred in some juicy storylines in Season 7, attending to honor some motion films for the practice disaster within the spring.
However CBS re-aired the third episode of Season 7 on August 30, which was a part of an arc by which OPA interacted together with his former Military buddy (performed by Chicago Med’s Man Lockard) who was fairly shady within the current. This specific rerun jogged my memory of what Zeeko Zaki informed me after the conclusion of the arc within the fall finale, when OA needed to kill Clay.
I’d spoken with the FBI star again in December about OA understanding what aspect of the road he stands on, and the August rerun with simply weeks to go earlier than the Season 8 premiere makes me consider what he then mentioned he’d like to see for OA in addition to the OA/Maggie friendship. I would say it is nonetheless very related for Season 8 beginning in October, as he defined on the time:
What I would like to see, as a result of once more, we do lay on these actually large informational moments, and then you definately’ll go a couple of episodes with out seeing it, however diving again into the POW [story] and diving again into the army stuff, I would love to do. And naturally speaking concerning the friendship… I really feel like possibly each of us are owed that second, for Maggie to speak about Jess and for me to speak about Clay and and dropping a pal, whether or not it was, you understand, whether or not they have been on the great aspect of the road, or the dangerous aspect, I believe dropping a pal is one thing that actually intense, and could be enjoyable to dive into extra.
Whereas in fact lots occurred within the again half of Season 7 after I spoke with Zaki about OA’s storyline with Clay, I’m all the time as much as be taught extra about OA’s previous earlier than the present began and see extra of that friendship with Maggie. No different duo on the present has practically as sturdy as a bond as these two, with even Jubal and Isobel having a bit {of professional} distance. (Plus, Isobel’s future may be very unsure on the time of writing.) Following the autumn finale, Zaki went on to handle how OA views Maggie as a confidante:
I believe that is type of what we’re discovering and discovering together with his relationship. I confided in [Gemma] concerning the POW earlier than I confided in Maggie, so it is type of good to mess around with that and to see, the place does OA go to when he is actually going by means of it? Maggie is all the time there for him, and she or he all the time shall be, fingers crossed. These moments are my favourite, once we actually get to get into the emotional stuff.
Luckily, Gemma survived that practice disaster in Season 7, so hopefully we’ll see extra of her in Season 8 as effectively. If there’s one factor I’m assured about getting this fall, it’s extra of Maggie and OA! Ideally, FBI can even dig additional into OA’s backstory because the season progresses.
FBI returns to CBS for Season 8 on a brand new night time after the cancellations of FBI: Most Needed and FBI: Worldwide. Take a look at the premiere on Monday, October 13 at 9 p.m. ET, forward of Watson Season 2, or stream subsequent day on Paramount+.