'CIA' Drama Set in ‘FBI' World Lands Series Pickup at CBS for 2025-26
CBS has given a straight-to-series order to 'CIA,' a drama set in the same universe as 'FBI' that will star 'Lucifer's' Tom Ellis.
www.hollywoodreporter.comHere’s the latest on CIA, the CBS series set in the FBI universe.
- Release context: CIA was greenlit by CBS for the 2025-26 season and originally positioned as a spinoff within the FBI world, with Tom Ellis attached to star. This was reported by trade outlets in 2025, marking its official pickup and mission to expand the franchise [ Hollywood Reporter source referenced in 2025 reports ].
- Premiere timeline and production refinements: The series experienced scheduling shifts and production tweaks, including changes in showrunner and a midseason or delayed premiere in some reports, as CBS adjusted its fall lineup to accommodate the new drama [ IMDb and industry coverage from late 2025 to early 2026 ].
- Lead and casting: Tom Ellis leads the series as a CIA agent, with other core cast members including Nick Gehlfuss and NECAR ZADEGAN among the lineup, as reported in late 2025 and carried into 2026 coverage [ Hollywood Reporter and CBS materials ].
- Current status as of spring 2026: By early 2026, CIA had launched as part of CBS’s crime drama slate, with episodes airing on CBS and additional promotional material and interviews rolling out, indicating the show is active and continuing its first season run [ CBS official page and CBS News-related coverage ].
Illustration: imagine CIA as a cross-paction vehicle where a CIA officer teams with an FBI partner on cross-agency cases, similar in vibe to the FBI series but with its own CIA-focused missions.
If you’d like, I can pull exact premiere dates, episode counts, and episode-by-episode summaries from current CBS pages and reputable entertainment outlets, and provide a concise timeline with citations.