A New Era for Dick Wolf: How the ‘FBI’ CIA Spinoff Changes Everything

FBI‘s upcoming CIA spinoff could mark a departure for Dick Wolf’s television empire. Even though FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted have both recently concluded, the long-running CBS franchise is moving forward with a new offshoot that will train its lens on the level of cooperation between the FBI and the CIA. The show has already recruited Tom Ellis, known for his roles in Lucifer and Tell Me Lies, to play the main character.

CIA, which will debut on CBS later this year, will see Ellis play a CIA case officer who will clash with an FBI agent. Ellis’ co-lead in the spinoff has yet to be announced. But just by announcing Ellis, who is known for playing a certain kind of character, the next FBI procedural has the chance to break new mold for Dick Wolf’s broadcast television empire — an empire that also includes the Law & Order and One Chicago shows on NBC.

Dick Wolf Will Expand Its TV Franchise With A New FBI Spinoff

CIA Will Debut Later This Year

CIA will join the main FBI series on the CBS schedule in the 2025-2026 broadcast television season. The spinoff focuses on two partners. One of those is Ellis’ character, who is named Hart Hoxton. He’s been described in reports as “a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer.” The second lead, whose casting has yet to be revealed, is the opposite: a veteran FBI agent who trusts the rule of law. The two very different partners 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.

The spinoff, which hails from Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios, is co-created by Dick Wolf and David Hudgins. The duo will also executive produce, alongside Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen, and Peter Jankowski, with Hudgins serving as showrunner. This will ensure a degree of continuity behind the scenes since Hudgins was previously the showrunner for FBI: Most Wanted.

CIA Will Likely Be The 1st Dick Wolf Show To Be Led By A Non-North American Protagonist

Ellis Could Keep The Accent

Outside international spinoffs like Law & Order: UK and the Canadian network version of Law & Order, as well, Wolf’s U.S. shows have understandably centered American protagonists. CIA will continue that trend since a person has to be an American to work at the CIA. However, Ellis’ character could be a dual-citizen who grew up in England before moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen. If that’s the case, it would be a first for Dick Wolf’s network dramas in terms of offering a different perspective.

Hart Hoxton’s background details are so far unconfirmed. But it stands to reason that the CIA creative team would want Ellis to keep the accent that he is recognized for as Lucifer Morningstar and Tell Me Lies‘ Oliver. Both characters are devious, albeit to different ends and to different degrees. It’s something they both share with the actor’s latest portrayal.

What To Expect From FBI: CIA

Ellis’ Character Is A Morally Ambiguous Type

Ellis recently gave an update on CIA, mentioning that the series draws from the events of 9/11 and imagines what it would be like if the FBI and CIA worked together on more cases. In that spirit, two people get paired together. Although it is a fruitful relationship in some ways, it is frustrating in others because they both approach their jobs very differently, sharing:

We’re going to work in the world of the procedural format that we’ve set up on, FBI. I think what what we’re looking to do is explore the notion of why these agencies don’t normally work together. And I think David Hudgins is writing the show. Part of his inspiration for it was the fact that after 9/11 it became very apparent if these agencies were a bit more collaborative with each other, then they could have, like avoided that, for example. And what they learned from that is that maybe if they shared a bit more information, they could do that.

Now they haven’t necessarily done that on every case, but what we’re exploring with this show is what would happen if you teamed up this experienced field agent from the CIA with this guy from the FBI, and it becomes a very productive relationship, but also a very difficult relationship, because they have very different philosophies about how to achieve their goals.

Ellis also pulled back the curtain on the character he’ll be playing, mentioning that Hoxton is the type to use lies and deceit to get what he wants. This is not too far from how the real CIA operates, looking at their history, but it’s also not too different from some of Ellis’ most famous performances. Lucifer was cheeky, albeit very honest in his own way. Oliver, a seemingly unfaithful husband, swung in the other direction on Tell Me Lies. Hoxton could be part of a very interesting continuum, but we’ll likely know more as the show is closer to debuting.