Tom Ellis’ CIA Spinoff: 8 Ways It Can Redeem Maddening ‘FBI’ Cancellations

The upcoming FBI spinoff CIA has a number of upsides that make the cancellations of FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted easier to accept. The controversial fate of the procedurals is once again in the spotlight, with FBI: International co-creator Derek Haas recently sharing that he didn’t know why the show was canceled. It is a fair note to strike, considering that the spinoffs performed better than some of the shows that were renewed by CBS. But in interviews, top executives explained that the reasons for not granting a renewal were varied and went beyond just viewership metrics.

Even looking beyond the FBI franchise and the storylines that the Fugitive Task Force could appear in, bringing in past characters is part of the DNA of Dick Wolf dramas like Law & Order. The seminal police procedural is known for bringing back actors for the occasional guest spot, such as Law & Order: SVU‘s BD Wong. Having a second, successful FBI show increases the chances that former cast members can pop up for an episode or two.

3.It Brings Back Tom Ellis To A Procedural Drama

He’s Been Missed

Ellis has kept busy since his time as the titular Lucifer. He played a seemingly unfaithful husband in Hulu’s Tell Me Lies and starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Players. But his presence in CIA brings him back to the format that provided him with his breakout role. Hart Hoxton and Lucifer Morningstar are very different, though they are united in a few key ways that set the spinoff up for success.

Ellis has mentioned that Hoxton is a complex figure, willing to deceive to get what he wants. It may be a more sinister take than the Devil himself, since Lucifer Morningstar generally does not lie. But the choice of casting does make for a more interesting experience for fans who have tracked Ellis’ career for several years.

4.The Lead Casting Opens Up The Door For Great Guest Stars

We Could See Lucifer Reunions

One of the positives of casting someone like Ellis, with an established screen presence and filmography, is that it opens up the possibility that he could once again share the screen with some of his Lucifer castmates. Shifting Gears, the new family sitcom on ABC, for example, followed this tradition when it reunited co-leads Tim Allen and Kat Dennings with some of their co-stars from previous works.

There are no casting details on CIA other than Ellis. But it wouldn’t be too surprising if the upcoming drama managed to reunite the actor with some of his Lucifer co-stars. In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Alisha Grauso, Aimee Garcia was asked about the possibility of reuniting with Ellis on his new show. The actress, who played Ella Lopez on Lucifer, noted that it was “a great idea.” There are also hopes that Ellis’ Lucifer co-star Lauren German may end her acting hiatus for a CIA cameo.

5.CIA Could Give The FBI Franchise The Leading Romance It Needs

Especially If Maggie & OA Won’t Happen

Another perk of adding an actor like Ellis, known for his romantic roles, is that it potentially opens up an avenue that has generally been closed off in Dick Wolf police dramas. Decades into Law & Order: SVU, Stabler and Benson are still having mournful discussions about why they can’t be together. Maggie and OA’s fan-favorite status hasn’t inched them any closer to being a couple in spite of all that they’ve shared. Beginnig fresh with Ellis could, and arguably should, allow CIA to go in a direction that the FBI franchise has generally avoided

Ellis has played different shades of lovers, whether it’s the deceitful and problematic Oliver on Tell Me Lies or the swoonworthy Lucifer Morningstar. Hoxton sounds like he’s somewhere between the two characters, based on the comments from Ellis, and CIA could lessen the sting of two cancelled spinoffs by attempting something different with the FBI franchise.

6.CIA Could Have A Stronger Character Focus

It Would Be A Shift

FBI and its offshoots have generally followed the formula of occasionally including character-specific episodes in between case-of-the-week installments and longer arcs that take up the bulk of a season. While this approach has its benefits in offering the action that viewers expect from a police procedural, the main FBI characters can sometimes be shortchanged in terms of character development. By centering Ellis and potentially keeping its cast small, CIA can follow Law & Order: Organized Crime in terms of being more character-focused than a strict procedural.

7.CIA’s Narrower Focus Could Help It Find An Audience

The Show Has A Clear Objective

CIA will focus on two very different partners who slowly begin to realize that their differences are actually strengths, as they work together out of New York’s CIA station and handle high-profile cases. At least for the start, potentially even the first few seasons, CIA can get a lot of mileage out of the friction and tension without necessarily copying the path that FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted took. Despite the shared themes and despite existing under one franchise, this narrow focus keeps CIA from feeling like a true and perhaps narratively unwarranted replacement.

8.CIA’s Success Is Good For The FBI Franchise

It Keeps The Universe Alive

CIA will focus on two very different partners who slowly begin to realize that their differences are actually strengths, as they work together out of New York’s CIA station and handle high-profile cases. At least for the start, potentially even the first few seasons, CIA can get a lot of mileage out of the friction and tension without necessarily copying the path that FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted took. Despite the shared themes and despite existing under one franchise, this narrow focus keeps CIA from feeling like a true and perhaps narratively unwarranted .

Shows tend to cost more as they go because of increasing production costs and increasing pay for the cast and crew. At a time when networks and studios are looking to tighten their budgets, the impact has already been felt across network television. Even some of the FBI cast have missed episodes, on occasion, as a way of managing finances.

A spinoff is a more attractive way of keeping a franchise alive because the casts can be relatively smaller and the costs are cheaper, at least at the outset. The success of CIA could well lead executives to consider deepening their investment in the FBI franchise, rather than move away from it, which could potentially allow for FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International to live on in some capacity.