Warning! Major spoilers ahead for the Season 8 finale of FBI, streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
The Season 8 finale of FBI aired on the 2026 TV schedule on Monday, and it was filled with quite a lot of action and, of course, a shocking twist. Zeeko Zaki’s OA found himself out of a job by the end of the episode, leaving fans wondering what exactly will happen to him in the upcoming ninth season. Luckily, the showrunner provided an update, but it made me nervous.
After being forced to work alongside Anna and her strike team, the team tried to save a bus full of civilians who were exposed to a dangerous bioweapon. For Anna, who is very shady, all she wanted was the bioweapon. Unfortunately, after all was said and done, ADIC Green insisted they move on, claiming there was no bus or contamination, and OA kept pushing until he was fired. But that’s not where the story ends, as OA met with Anna and offered him a spot on her strike team. So what’s going to happen?
What Showrunner Mike Weiss Had To Say
Obviously, this was not the way that fans saw the season ending, especially after all the team had been through just this year alone. So when it came to OA’s firing, it was definitely a big shock, especially since he just went along with it. And his accepting Anna’s offer was also a surprise, until he brought in Isobel and Maggie, and it all turned out to be a ruse to go in deeper.
Now, as for what will happen next, Mike Weiss, who serves as showrunner and executive producer, confirmed to TV Insider that Zeeko Zaki is not going anywhere. OA will be back. However, he will be in a different place come Season 9, at least in the beginning:
No, but we might see him standing in some different rooms at the beginning of Season 9, which I think will be really exciting. Letting him and the show shake things up at the top of Season 9. We’re really excited to see him deep undercover in a different way.
With the crime procedural heading into its ninth season, which has been confirmed since 2024 when FBI was given a three-season renewal, it’s only natural for the show to shake things up. And you can’t get any more shaken up by a key member of the team seemingly getting fired, then ultimately going deep undercover.
While Isobel and Maggie know what’s going on with OA, Weiss shared how the plan will affect everyone else on the team and how it could even affect their dynamics with OA:
We wanted to go with the notion that this was so sensitive and taking down the strike team was so top secret that in the moment, the only people who knew were his partner and his boss. By the time we start Season 9, I think the rest of the team will have been read in on the assignment. And I think it’ll be fun to see Scola eventually be like, 'Hey man, that really sucked how you didn’t trust me enough to tell me where you were going.' And it’s like, 'Hey, it was happening fast and I’m sorry, I hope you can still trust me. ' And we know that Scola, Eva, Jubal [Jeremy Sisto], the JOCulars, they’re all going to trust OA, but I do think that it’ll be interesting to see a little bit of the fallout of this secret ripple over the course of the first section of Season 9.
This will definitely test the team and certainly shake things up. As of now, it’s unknown how long this storyline will go on when Season 9 premieres later this year. However, it’s clear that this won’t go away so easily, and the aftermath could have lasting impacts. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m nervous.
Why I’m Already Nervous
There is no telling how this undercover op will go and how deep OA will need to go. Plus, Isobel and Maggie know it’s going to be hard on them to keep it between just them when Scola, Eva, and Jubal are likely wondering what’s going on. Let's just say, I'm stressed for all of them.
Weiss saying that this will shake things up is also not very great to hear, because you never know how it’s going to turn out and how it will ultimately affect everyone when all is said and done, especially OA. This will also affect his relationships with the team, especially if it goes on for a while, and I can't imagine it will have a good impact.
So, yeah, I'm nervous.
It’s impressive that even after eight seasons, FBI manages to be as unpredictable as ever, and with this storyline, who knows what could go down. Fans will just have to wonder about it all summer until FBI returns for Season 9 this fall on CBS.
