FBI Season 7 is on the verge of returning to CBS in the 2025 TV schedule, with the first new episode since the fall finale that put OA (Zeeko Zaki) through the wringer. The winter premiere, called "Descent," airs on January 28 and shifts the focus over to Scola (John Boyd) as the case of the week leaves him flashing back to the loss of his brother more than two decades ago.
Of course, Scola still doesn't have a regular partner since the departure of Tiff (Katherine Renee Kane) in the premiere, but a new casting suggests that he might finally find one who sticks this season, and Boyd recently told CinemaBlend what Scola really needs in a partner.
FBI's Newest Agent
FBI has cast Emily Alabi as a new agent joining the team, according to Deadline, with the expectation that her character will be the next newcomer to be paired with Scola. Alabi is no stranger to CBS after recurring on S.W.A.T., debuting on Magnum P.I. before the Jay Hernandez show moved to NBC, and even landing a role on FBI: International. She also appeared in Joe Pickett (seen above) for viewers with a Paramount+ subscription.
Details are scarce about Alabi's character, although the actress confirmed her casting on Instagram. She will recur through the back half of Season 7, with the potential for promotion to series regular status for Season 8. FBI has already been renewed through Season 9.
The news comes after the actress who was originally cast to play Scola's new partner was cut, reportedly due to the FBI team deciding to go in a different direction rather than because of any shortcomings in Lisette Olivera's performance. FBI hasn't yet revealed how Olivera's character, Agent Sydney Ortiz, will be written out, but it's presumably only a matter of time once Season 7 returns.
What John Boyd Told Us About A New Partner For Scola
News broke over the summer that Katherine Renee Kane wouldn't be returning to FBI as a Season 7 series regular, but she did come back for the Season 7 premiere for Tiff to get a solid goodbye on screen. The super sweet final scene between Tiff and Maggie was a product of Missy Peregrym wanting a moment with Kane, whereas Tiff and Scola's final scene involved her saving his life after he was stabbed out in the field.
At the time, John Boyd referred to the choice for the partners' final scene as the "clear and obvious choice of what to do," and confirmed that scheduling worked out for that to also be his final scene opposite Katherine Renee Kane. All in all, the stage was set for Scola to need a new partner, but he hasn't found one who fits quite like Tiff did.
So, when I spoke with Boyd ahead of the winter premiere that will showcase his character, I asked what kind of personality in a partner he thinks Scola needs to mesh well with on FBI, and he shared:
Well, Scola can mesh well with everyone because he doesn't like anyone, until he does. He doesn't trust anyone, and he thinks everyone's full of BS. No, I think what would be cool is for Scola to get the kind of partner that he doesn't know he needs. [Those] are the funnest stories to tell, are the people that bring some side out of him that he didn't know. Someone that challenges him, someone that teaches him, that he can learn from. You really, really need that trust on this show, you have to have a partner that you feel like you can really trust, and it'll be interesting to build that back again someday.
I spoke with the actor, who hit a major milestone in Season 7, before news broke that Emily Alabi had been cast, so it should be interesting to see how her character matches (or doesn't match) his description of Scola's ideal partner from the beginning. Even if they don't hit it off right away, it's worth remembering that Tiff and Scola weren't exactly on OA/Maggie levels of trust from the start, and John Boyd agreed that "it sure was" a process for Tiff and Scola to build their trust and partnership back in the day.
This partner storyline has been ongoing for Scola in the first FBI season with showrunner Mike Weiss, and the upcoming big episode for the character was written by Aaron Ginsburg, who is also new to Season 7. Boyd only had good things to say about how the show is being handled with fresh blood behind the scenes, saying:
It really has been [fresh]. I've just been so impressed with how they've been able to write. The storylines that they've thought of this season for Scola, I've just been really excited about, and interested too in the partnership stuff and the speed dating and people not working and the Goldilocks. It's just been really fun. Everything they throw at me, I think is really cool.
As for what FBI will throw at Scola next, the wait isn't much longer! "Descent" airs on CBS as the Season 7 winter premiere on Tuesday, January 28 in the usual 8 p.m. ET time slot. The team will investigate the death of an assistant U.S. attorney, which will put them in the middle of a terrorist plot involving commercial airplanes. Understandably, this triggers memories of Scola's late brother, who died in the 9/11 attacks.
While Scola won't have Tiff as his trusted partner and it remains to be seen if Syd has a part to play, Shantel VanSanten will cross over from FBI: Most Wanted as Nina Chase. Hopefully Nina will be able to give Scola any support he needs, but fans will need to tune in to find out. FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International all have their current seasons so far streaming on Paramount+ as well.
