CBS Corners FBI Into Cutting Ties With A Main Cast Member

Published Nov 4, 2026, 12:16 PM 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."FBI is only five episodes into its ninth season on CBS, and the team has already added and then cut a new member. Now, as of the end of "Atonement" in CBS's fall 2026 schedule, it seems that the drama may not be done removing agents from 26 Fed in the foreseeable future. One character revealed that not all was at it seemed in his personal life, and the network may be on the verge of losing a fan-favorite agent for much longer.

It's not altogether unusual for FBI to cycle through agents, and Maggie's new partner was never likely to last for very long in season 9 after OA's undercover mission ended. That said, the exits of characters like Tiff and Dani prove that the drama is more likely to lose characters very early in a season as opposed to in the middle. If FBI takes the latest storyline to its natural conclusion after a major decision, then a series regular could say goodbye to the New York field office sooner rather than later.

Just hours after the news broke that Shantel VanSanten is returning to FBI as Nina, "Atonement" aired to reveal the big reason why she'll be back. Scola revealed that his wife received the job offer of a lifetime, but the great news for the former FBI: Most Wanted agent comes with some bad news for John Boyd's character. He may be running out of episodes as part of CBS' longest-running show in Dick Wolf's TV universe.

Scola Has A Major Problem On FBI

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The newest episode opened with Scola confirming some big news for the rest of the team: Nina had been offered the opportunity to run a task force of her own. Not only is that a big boost from FBI: Most Wanted's ending for Nina, but it goes to show how well she's been doing off-screen since her last guest appearance on FBI. Scola wasn't too enthusiastic about it, and Eva ultimately found out why: the promotion would require Nina to move to San Diego.

Scola confessed to his partner that he told Nina she shouldn't take the promotion, since it would uproot the family while their son was getting older. He shared that he didn't know if their family would survive "the sacrifice that's needed" for Nina to get the gig. To his credit, he clearly didn't feel good about discouraging his wife from her dream job, and he thought better of it by the end of the episode.

After talking the situation out with Eva, he realized that "to serve is to sacrifice." He didn't end the episode by committing to leaving New York and moving the whole family to California, but he left a meaningful voicemail for Nina:

I've been thinking more about San Diego. I think you should take the job. It's worth it, and we'll figure it out, OK? I love you.

For better or worse, Scola seemed to straighten out his priorities about what would be best for Nina (and the Bureau) vs. what would be the most convenient for him. Now, unless Nina's job offer changes or FBI intends to put Scola in a very complicated long-distance relationship, the most obvious solution to the conundrum would be for him to join her on the West Coast. The downside would mean John Boyd leaving the cast of FBI, and the end of Scola's new partnership with Eva.

FBI's History Of Cutting Agents

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FBI's status as a procedural generally means that the cases don't rely too heavily on character development, but the show still has gone through a surprising amount of cast turnover beyond the core four leads of Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, and (as of season 2) Alana De La Garza. While one cast member didn't last beyond the first season in CBS' 2018-2019 TV schedule, others have cycled in and out over just the past couple of years.

Actor	Character	Stint
Sela Ward	Dana Mosier	2018-2019
Eboneé Noel	Kristen Chazal	2018-2020
Kathleen Munroe	Rina Trenholm	2020-2021
Katherine Renee Kane	Tiffany Wallace	2020-2024
Lisette Olivera	Syd Ortiz	2024
Emily Alabi	Dani Rhodes	2025

The biggest loss was undoubtedly Katherine Renee Kane as Tiff. She and Scola had developed a strong partnership over four full seasons, and Scola had to go through several replacement partners before he found one who stuck. Tiff got one of the better endings, however, especially compared to Kathleen Munroe's Rina and Emily Alabi's Dani. Both agents were killed off in shocking twists, while also being new enough to the show that they hadn't exactly become fan favorites.

Scola is a different story. Even though being written out just to go to San Diego with his wife would be considerably less tragic than what happened to Dani and Rina, he would be the biggest character in the whole series to leave 26 Fed behind. Like Alana De La Garza, he joined FBI as a series regular in season 2, and has been a key part of the ensemble ever since.

At the same time, Scola is a good man and a good agent. After his realization in "Atonement," the most natural (and most in-character) decision that he could make would be to join Nina and move to San Diego. Boyd's newest storyline as Scola on FBI could also be his last, and it remains to be seen if CBS has a way out of the problem that wouldn't cost the drama another star. New episodes will continue airing on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, with Shantel VanSanten returning on November 16.