CBS is on the verge of delivering two things that FBI fans have been waiting for: the arrival in the 2026 TV schedule months after the fall finale as well as the nuptials of Scola and Nina. Shantel VanSanten returns to the hit drama for the first time since FBI: Most Wanted was cancelled in the winter premiere on February 23, joining John Boyd for a major development for their characters. They spoke with CinemaBlend about the wedding bells ringing in the winter premiere, as well as being the rare pairing in the FBI world to have a ship name.
The network didn't hide that the Scolina wedding is on the way as soon as news broke that Shantel VanSanten would be reprising her role on FBI, so fans have had something happy to look forward to once the show returned to CBS in the new year. (The winter premiere will also be available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.)
The episode, called "Confetti," will undoubtedly put them through the wringer before they can say "I do," with the team working to flip a difficult witness and pull off an undercover op at a cartel wedding. Fans will have to tune in to see how a cartel wedding inspires Scola and Nina to have a wedding of their own, but I had to ask the actors for their thoughts on the "Scolina" name. John Boyd responded:
Gosh, I guess we are lucky. That's very special. We have a ship name.
Given that the only shows in the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe to spend much time on romance are generally the three One Chicago series over on NBC, FBI love stories are few and far between. Is it any surprise that viewers might deem Scola and Nina worthy of a portmanteau name of their own? Shantel VanSanten picked up where Boyd left off about how they "have a ship name," saying:
I also think it's really neat to represent that. I know early on, when we found out our characters were gonna actually be together, we sat down and talked about it and interviewed an actual FBI couple. They exist, it happens. People fall in love in the workplace and do the same job and risk their lives. And it's complicated, and to be able to [play that] is of course, fun, but it's also really interesting to be able to show what we've learned from another couple [w]hat actually happens and to implement little parts of their story in Scola and Nina.
Apparently, relationships aren't against all the rules in the real-life FBI, with John Boyd and Shantel VanSanten able to get some insight into how it would actually work. Fortunately, their characters' workplace romance has gone a lot better than Jubal's with Rina from a few seasons ago.
The agents have insisted over the years that they were perfectly happy with their relationship and parenting situation without needing to get married. Them not being married was even a source of conflict for Nina and her dad on FBI: Most Wanted. So, how earned will it be by the end of FBI's winter premiere when they finally get married? Shantel VanSanted previewed that the "payoff" actually comes a little bit ahead of the wedding:
I think being able to have a glimpse into the intimate moment and conversation which leads to the proposal is the biggest payoff for me, because it is very much so those quiet moments of them exposing themselves and being vulnerable and telling the truth, which is why I think everybody has been able to fall in love with parts of their story, because we see the complicated nature of navigating feelings, life, and situations with another person, and the show just doesn't always explore that. So I hope it's a payoff for everybody [laughs], that they finally make this choice, and the place that they make it from which is spoken to in the proposal.
Considering the unconventional love story that has unfolded for Scolina so far, it remains to be seen whether the proposal is in any way traditional. As VanSanten noted, this show "doesn't always explore" storylines like this, with Maggie and OA consistently unlucky in love over the years. John Boyd agreed with his costar, and elaborated:
The proposal scene shows that they have repaired. That's the final piece, I think, for a couple to be able to tie the knot, that they know how to healthily repair through the conflict and any pain, so tying the knot, I think, is well earned.
Wedding bells won't be the only twist for Nina in "Confetti," however, and Shantel VanSanten explained the "fear factor" of fighting in formalwear when Nina and Maggie go undercover at the cartel wedding. This will be the first episode of FBI since the fall finale back in mid-December. So, be sure to tune in on Monday, February 23 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS for the winter premiere of FBI Season 8.
The Monday night lineup will be changing in 2026, with CIA replacing Watson in the 10 p.m. ET hour. FBI and CIA are set in the same universe, opening Season 8 up to crossovers for the first time since Most Wanted and International ended. In fact, Jeremy Sisto will appear in the series premiere of CIA, and star Nick Gehlfuss explained why it's "perfect" to pair the shows in primetime.
