Warning: spoilers are ahead for the winter premiere of FBI Season 8 on CBS in the 2026 TV schedule, called "Confetti" and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
After a long journey that spanned five years, two shows, and one shocking cancellation, FBI's Scola and Nina finally tied the knot. They decided they were ready after Nina's very close brush with death while undercover in formalwear with Maggie, with Nina on the verge of proposing before Scola insisted on doing one thing the traditional way and pulled an engagement ring out of his desk. Shantel VanSanten, who returned to FBI as a guest star after FBI: Most Wanted was cancelled last spring, opened up about why none of Nina's friends were present for the nuptials while Scola's regular coworkers were.
Of course, it was never likely that FBI would recruit stars like Dylan McDermott and Roxy Sternberg to just pop into the winter premiere for a few moments of screentime, but Nina became an integral part of the Most Wanted team. So, when Shantel VanSanten and John Boyd spoke with CinemaBlend, I had to ask: who else would have been on the guest list of Scolina's wedding was any bigger than a courthouse ceremony attended by Maggie, OA, Jubal, and Isobel? VanSanten responded:
If anything, I'm like, 'It should have just been the two of them.' They would have snuck away really quick on a lunch break, and just worn their suits. You know what I mean? I would have gone the other direction, if anything, for Nina's sake, just because I don't think that her dream was ever that. I really love to play to nonconformity and go against expectations and allow for people to see love in different ways than a fairy tale or in a dream. [This is] a much more grounded, real way.
Nina wasn't getting married because she wanted a sea of attendants or a princess gown, and in fact started out the proposal conversation by pragmatically pointing out the paperwork that would be involved for Scola if she died without them being married. According to Shantel VanSanten, Nina would have preferred an even smaller ceremony than with Scola's coworkers in the mix.
Even when it came to selecting the wedding looks, Shantel VanSanten shared that she'd mostly tried on pantsuits until she found one dress that was "simple and classic and reverent of this moment." It was ultimately the only dress she tried. The actress did come around to having Maggie and Co. on hand, as she went on to say:
For me, it was perfect that they were there, because their actual energy made me more nervous… Nina invited nobody. [To John Boyd] She found out you invited them when she walked in, remember? You were like, 'I invited some friends.' And she's like, 'What?! This is supposed to be the three of us.’
Well, at least Dougie would have made the guest list if Nina had her way! While it would have been nice to get some FBI: Most Wanted cameos after how the show ended, I can see VanSanten's point. Plus, an appearance from Dylan McDermott and/or anybody else from the spinoff might have stolen Scolina's thunder. VanSanten then began to banter with John Boyd about who they could have invited to their characters' wedding:
- John Boyd: "All of Scola’s old partners.[laughs] Maybe some Most Wanted people, your old colleagues."
- Shantel VanSanten: "Old partners that you’ve had, my old colleagues. Yeah, we could have brought them all back.
- John Boyd: "That would have taken a turn."
While the shocking Season 8 premiere death means that at least one of Scola's past partners couldn't have attended, I would have gotten a kick out of seeing Tiff again. That said, her making an appearance might have stolen as much thunder as if the Most Wanted crew turned up. For now, we can just wait and see if Nina will appear more often on FBI now that she and Scola are husband and wife.
Tune in to CBS on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI Season 8, ahead of CIA. The new show exists within the FBI world (and with CIA star Nick Gehlfuss praising CBS for the pairing), but it's not quite FBI 2.0 despite featuring Jeremy Sisto in the premiere. You can find both shows streaming via Paramount+ now.
