I’m more worried than ever about the FBI franchise’s best couple now that FBI: Most Wanted will be wrapping up its final season this May. This spinoff about the Fugitive Task Force has been part of CBS’ Tuesday night lineup for six years, but unfortunately, FBI: Most Wanted season 7 will not happen because CBS canceled both of its current spinoffs while greenlighting a new show, FBI: CIA. FBI: Most Wanted will air the remaining episodes of its final season and wrap up in May 2025.
CBS has canceled FBI: Most Wanted for several reasons, including the fact that its ratings are down 10% from the previous season (via TVLine). Unfortunately, one of the side effects of this series’ ending is that it leaves one of the franchise’s couples in limbo. FBI’s Scola (John Boyd) and FBI: Most Wanted’s Nina (Shantel Van Santen) are currently in a relationship and are raising their infant son together. I’m frustrated that this cancellation might mean that the couple evaporates without explanation, as there has not yet been any news about how the FBI will handle their relationship after the wrap-up.
FBI: Most Wanted’s Cancelation Leaves Nina’s Fate Uncertain
There Is No Information Yet About Where Her Character Is Going Next
Nina’s future is in limbo now that FBI: Most Wanted has been canceled. I’ve covered TV shows for long enough to know that the creative team behind the franchise could still be figuring out what to do — she could ultimately go back to FBI or star in FBI: CIA. However, it’s also possible that the Fugitive Task Force will continue to operate off-screen, essentially writing Nina out altogether except for occasional guest appearances on FBI.
Many FBI characters have received disappointing exit stories in the past. Often, characters disappear without a final on-screen story. Instead, they get the treatment that Scola’s latest partner, Syd, got: a throwaway line about how they suddenly got another job offer in another city. I’m hopeful that a character as important as Nina will get the ending she deserves, if not a transfer to an existing series within the franchise. However, given the franchise’s abysmal track record in this regard, it isn’t guaranteed that Nina will get any ending at all.
I’m Worried That FBI: Most Wanted’s End Will Result In Nina & Scola’s Split
The Couple May Be Collateral Damage Now That FBI: Most Wanted Has Been Canceled
Nina and Scola are the FBI franchise’s best couple. There aren’t many other couples to begin with; OA and Gemma appear to be a stable couple in FBI and Jubal recently reconciled with his ex-wife. However, neither of these couples are exciting. Thus, I’d be extremely disappointed if the franchise breaks Nina and Scola up. Additionally, if Nina becomes a character who is permanently off-screen, that will be a de facto breakup even if the couple is still together.
Nina could be forced to take a job in a different city, which would mean that either Scola moves with her or the couple breaks up.
Thus, the franchise doesn’t have to actively break up Scola and Nina. It’s unlikely that FBI: Most Wanted will end with them deciding their relationship has run its course. However, Nina could be forced to take a job in a different city, which would mean that either Scola moves with her or the couple breaks up. If the series goes this route, I’d prefer that Scola move with Nina even though it would mean losing another character, as that decision would better fit the characters. Still, there’s no need to write Nina out in this manner.
How The FBI Franchise Can Keep Nina & Scola Together
There Are Several Creative Choices
Nina has stepped in to offer temporary help to the New York Field Office in recent episodes, so there is already precedent for her returning to FBI after FBI: Most Wanted wraps up. However, this solution doesn’t work unless the procedural also revisits the issue of Nina and Scola working together.
One of the reasons the couple works in separate units is so that someone can always be home with their son. This setup allows Nina and Scola to stagger their schedules so that only one parent is tied up with a faraway case at a time, minimizing the disruption to the infant’s life and the risk that both his parents could be killed in the line of duty at the same time. Additionally, by working separately, the two sidestep rules against fraternization between agents in the same unit.
Sadly, with FBI: Most Wanted ending, the best solution might be for Scola and Nina to move away together so that they can remain a couple and maintain the staggered schedule that they had planned on.
Since there is a new spinoff coming, it might be a better idea for Nina to join FBI: CIA. I’m not sold on this solution, however, because the title suggests lots of undercover assignments that could put a strain on Nina and Scola’s relationship. Sadly, with FBI: Most Wanted ending, the best solution might be for Scola and Nina to move away together so that they can remain a couple and maintain the staggered schedule that they had planned on.
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