Spoilers ahead for the season 9 premiere FBI But 2026 tv schedule.
FBI It’s officially back for its ninth season, and not surprisingly there was plenty of action and twists in Monday’s premiere episode. Following the end of season 8, OA’s status remained unchanged for season 9, as she went undercover for Anna Vorpe’s strike team after being fired from the FBI. After that episode ended with a pretty shocking update, I had to ask the showrunner all about it.
A few months have passed in “Renderition”, and OA is still on the strike team. He’s working with Isobel and Maggie, trying to get more information about what’s going on, and the situation isn’t exactly clear. He’s learned that this strike team uses torture and conceals civilian casualties, which is not what OA is about. Although going undercover is part of the job, this one is especially hard, and it’s not because OA has kept it a secret from half the team.
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Showrunner Mike Weiss told CinemaBlend what it is about this job that’s weighing on him, and I hate to see it:
The hard thing for her is that The OA has these values that I think she’s proud of, and I think the audience loves. They have integrity, loyalty and adherence to truth. And none of that matters in Strike Team. They are a vague, non-constitutionally bound entity. They believe they are keeping the country safe, but they are doing so in ways that Oa is not comfortable with. And the violence, secrets and illegality of their operations – that’s what he has to deal with every day for months.
The season 8 finale of the crime procedural already showed how different the Strike Team is, and we got to see even more of that in the season 9 premiere. With their morals at opposite ends of the spectrum, it’s hard for OA to agree with what’s going on. Unfortunately, that will remain under wraps for a while longer.
After discovering at an estate that the Strike Team had hijacked she had hanged herself, Oye tells Isobel in hopes that she will be enough to bring Anna down. However, he tells her that the strike team’s actions fall under the Title 50 national security exemption, meaning it is approved. They are untouchable.
As much as OA wants out, Isobel wants to get closer to Anna and find out who is protecting her. Who knows how long this will last, but the longer he keeps the secret, the more difficult it will be for Isobel to keep the ruse at 26 Fade, as Weiss told me when I asked about it.
I mean, if you’re Isobel, the longer you keep the secret, the question is: Oh boy, you’re keeping a secret in a building full of very smart FBI agents who are renowned for getting to the truth. How long can you keep the secret before people start finding out what’s going on? And your boss is ADIC Green, who doesn’t know what’s going on. What does it mean to you if your boss finds out? What about your coworkers and your friends, people you love and respect? What will happen if Jubal finds out? And so we see Isobel have to manage it all. We’re going to be dealing with different dynamics at the 26 Fed as the truth about what OA is doing comes out.
Listen, so far, OA has been able to handle herself and isn’t taking any offense to the team, but Weiss makes a good point. Only Isobel and Maggie know what OA is really doing; Even Jubal and Scola are not involved. Then there is ADIC Green, who is insulted by Oa and refuses to follow his orders, and this may cause some problems in the future.
Of course, OA can’t remain undercover as a Strike Team forever. At some point, he’s going to be back in the 26 Fed, but how and when that happens remains to be seen. Hopefully, it’ll happen soon because this assignment is already bothering OA, and I need her back in the FBI, especially since The OA and Maggie are one of the best TV partnerships. And especially when we know there’s a crossover coming in the pipeline.
We’ll just have to find out in the new episodes FBI Airing Monday nights at 8pm ET on CBS, streaming the following day with a Paramount+ subscription.