The FBI offshoot with a CIA twist is moving forward with a straight-to-series order at CBS and Tom Ellis as star. Tentatively titled CIA, the project (fka FBI: CIA) will now join the mothership FBI drama on CBS’ 2025-26 schedule.
Originally announced as a planted spinoff, the new FBI universe extension was supposed to be introduced in an episode of the mothership series this spring. As Deadline reported last month, that plan was eventually scrapped, with the attention shifting to a straight-to-series order, which was considered contingent on casting the main lead. (The possibility for a CIA straight-to-series order was first floated when CBS cancelled FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. Of the two, Most Wanted originated as an FBI planted spinoff episode while International, like CIA, was ordered straight-to-series.)
Ellis emerged as a top choice early on and was offered the CIA agent role more than two months ago. Word started circulating about a month ago that negotiations with the Lucifer star had broken off but the project remained alive and casting. It is unclear when exactly talks with Ellis restarted but his deal just closed, I hear, paving the way to the series order.
Written by Wolf and FBI: Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins, CIA (working title) centers 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. 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.
Originally, three characters — including the FBI agent and the CIA agent — were going to be introduced in the planted spinoff episode of FBI which was pushed a couple of times over casting delays until a decision was made not to proceed with it. There also had been questions about the creative of the project, which came together quickly.
FBI’s CIA offshoot is executive produced by Wolf, Hudgins, who will serve as showrunner, Nicole Perlman, former CIA officer David Chasteen and Wolf Entertainment’s Peter Jankowski. Like the rest of the FBI franchise, the series is from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios.
This is the third new drama series ordered by CBS for the 2025-26 season, joining two other franchise extensions, Fire Country spinoff Sheriff Country and Blue Bloods offshoot Boston Blue.
Ellis, who headlined Lucifer for its six-season run on Fox and Netflix, recently did a season-long arc on Hulu’s Tell Me Lies and will play a lead opposite Sterling K. Brown on the upcoming Hulu limited series Washington Black. In features, he recently starred in Netflix’s romantic comedy Players and will next be seen in Netflix/Amblin’s Thursday Murder Club. Ellis is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, UK’s Hamilton Hodell and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett and Kole.
