CBS is adding to its FBI universe – but going outside the bureau – with its latest drama series order.
The network has given a straight-to-series order to CIA, a series set in the same fictional world as FBI but centering on, as the title suggests, the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Ellis (Lucifer, Tell Me Lies) will star in the series, which like FBI comes from Universal Television, Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios.
The series order for CIA means Wolf will continue to have multiple series at CBS in the 2025-26 season. FBI is one year into a three-season order that will carry it through 2026-27, but the network canceled spinoffs FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted in March.
CIA was initially intended as a planted spinoff of FBI (with an alphabet-soup working title of FBI: CIA), with characters set to be introduced in an episode of the parent series near the end of its current season. CBS and the show’s producers opted not to go that route, however, and moved to trying to secure a straight-to-series pickup.
The series will center on “two unlikely partners – a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (Ellis), and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law,” the show’s logline reads. “When this odd couple are assigned to work out of CIA’s New York Station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.”
FBI: Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins will fill that same role on CIA, executive producing with Wolf, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen and Wolf Entertainment’s Peter Jankowski.
CIA joins two other spinoffs, Boston Blue and Sheriff Country, on CBS’ roster for 2025-26. Keep track of all the network series orders, renewals and cancellations with THR’s broadcast scorecard.
