CBS’ FBI franchise might be in a state of flux, but the network is adding a brand-new series that concerns another government branch with FBI: CIA. Launching back in 2018 with the flagship series, the FBI franchise concerns the agents of the eponymous bureau as they use their detective skills to crack major cases at various branches around the US and even abroad.
Created by TV maven Dick Wolf, the series was essentially designed to be spun-off into a multi-series franchise, and it didn’t take long for CBS to launch a handful of successful spinoffs. Things were going swimmingly until the early months of 2025 when CBS opted to cancel FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
This stripped the franchise down to only the titular flagship series, and it seemed as if the network was winding down FBI after nearly a decade on the air. However, CBS clearly has other plans for the Dick Wolf creation, and an entirely new spinoff centered on the CIA is currently in the works.
FBI‘s CIA spinoff isn’t just an idea that’s being floated, it’s been green-lit and has already earned its spot on the network’s upcoming slate.
The FBI: CIA Spinoff Season 1 Latest News
The Spinoff’s Progress Hit A Snag
The original plan for FBI’s CIA spinoff series was to air it alongside FBI in the fall of 2025 on CBS. The series was even announced as part of the CBS fall schedule. That schedule, however, has since changed.
Scripts are being retooled ahead of moving forward with casting and production. Adding to the need for pushing CIA to a midseason premiere date is that a new showrunner is being brought on board. David Hudgins, who previously worked on FBI: Most Wanted, is one of the co-creators of the CIA spinoff and was the planned showrunner.
Amid the delays and retooling, Hudgins has left the series and is being replaced by Warren Leight. Leight is the former showrunner for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, another series under the Dick Wolf umbrella.
The FBI: CIA Spinoff Season 1 Is Confirmed
The Latest FBI Spinoff Will Go Straight To Series
Both Wolf and Hudgins also served as writers on the forthcoming episodes, meaning the creative duo’s fingerprints will be all over the debut season..
Dick Wolf and David Hudgins co-created the series, with the latter expected to serve as showrunner for season 1. Both Wolf and Hudgins also served as writers on the initial episodes, meaning the creative duo’s fingerprints will be all over the debut season, even though Hudgins has since left the series.
This bodes well for FBI: CIA, as Wolf has a track record of success with police procedurals. However, the spinoff has big shoes to fill after the surprise cancellation of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International in the early weeks of 2025.
Instead of becoming the fourth show in the franchise, FBI: CIA now joins the flagship series as the only two programs currently airing. If the spinoff doesn’t take off, it will likely destroy any chance of future spinoffs coming to air on CBS.
The FBI: CIA Spinoff Season 1 Cast Details
Tom Ellis Will Headline The CIA Spinoff
Ellis’ co-star hasn’t been cast yet, but the as-yet-unnamed FBI agent is crucial to the show’s success.
Perhaps best known for his turn on Lucifer, Tom Ellis has signed on to lead the upcoming FBI: CIA spinoff. Ellis’ character is Hart Hoxton and is described as a loose-canon CIA agent who works out of the New York branch of the agency. Ellis has referenced Hoxton as someone with “moral ambiguity” when speaking about him:
…he finds himself stuck in what some CIA agents might think was the boring end of the job in, you know, on home soil in New York. But he’s someone who, like many people who work for the CIA, has to use guile and deceit and lies to get what he wants. So there’s a large dose of moral ambiguity that comes with him, but that’s part of his job. So whilst that is, you know, not great for people in actual life, for a TV audience, it’s wonderful entertainment.
The concept of the program is that he works on cases with a straight-laced FBI agent who believes in following the rules strictly. Ellis’ co-star hasn’t been cast yet, but the as-yet-unnamed FBI agent is crucial to the show’s success. Their odd-couple dynamic will likely be the heart of the series, and chemistry is key.
Since there has been no announcement about who the FBI agent will be in the series, there has been plenty of speculation that it could be a character the audience already knows. With the cancellation of two other FBI series, there is the possibility that a character could move over to the new show.
It’s also likely CIA will lean into its connection to the FBI flagship series by allowing crossover with appearances by other FBI characters. One likely character is Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto). The character has been used by the franchise in the past to hand out assignments to other teams, and that could be the case here if he is used to link the two shows.
The FBI: CIA Spinoff Season 1 Story Details
The FBI & CIA Work Together To Stop Terrorism
Unlike other cop shows, which often concern street-level crimes, the FBI franchise sees its agents take on major threats like terrorism on a weekly basis. This trend will continue in FBI: CIA with both agencies working together to stop domestic and foreign threats to the United States.
This will likely be the real heart of the show, as their conflicting methods could drive a wedge between the partners as they each believe their route is the correct one. This relationship will probably be one of tension and not humor, since the FBI franchise isn’t really known for its comedic moments.
Whatever FBI: CIA turns out to be, it’s bound to be a hit on CBS, and the network has already struck gold with the Dick Wolf franchise before.
