A highly anticipated spin-off of CBS’ FBI franchise will soon arrive on the network. Led by Lucifer star Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss, CIA is a police procedural TV show. Wolf Entertainment, the production company behind the FBI franchise, produced CIA with CBS Studios and Universal Television.
Tom Ellis-led FBI Spin-off CIA to premiere next month
CIA will debut on February 23, 2026, on CBS. Meanwhile, FBI Season 8 also returns that day from the holiday hiatus.
Per Deadline, the official logline of CIA reads, “When two unlikely partners – a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer, and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law – 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.”
Tom Ellis portrays CIA case officer Hart Hoxton in the FBI spin-off, whereas Nick Gehlfuss appears as FBI agent Bill Goodman. The cast also includes Natalee Linez as Gina Rojas and Necar Zadegan.
Reports about the spin-off began circulating in January 2025. At the time, it was reported that the series would start with a backdoor pilot airing as an FBI episode. That didn’t happen. Ultimately, the project received a straight-to-series order in April, with Ellis boarding the show as one of the leads. In September, Gehlfuss joined the cast opposite him. At one point, ER’s Michael Michele was part of the cast, but she later exited the show, leading to Zadegan’s inclusion as a replacement (via Variety).
During a recent interview with TV Insider, Ellis teased his upcoming show. He called the CIA series “just one big lie,” while comparing it to Tell Me Lies, in which he plays a major role. The Miranda actor later added that on CIA, “it’s pretty much we’re on the go from the first beat, and then we keep going.”
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon.net.
