With the 2025 TV schedule winding down, one of the most highly-anticipated midseason shows coming out of CBS has to be CIA. Not only is it joining the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe, but the early goal of a fall premiere means that the wait to check it out has been longer than originally expected. Chicago Med vet Nick Gehlfuss is set to co-lead with Lucifer's Tom Ellis. Now, the show has lost a star and an executive producer, but Gehlfuss spoke with CinemaBlend about how exciting it is to be working on it in New York City.
Michael Michele And Eriq La Salle Are Out
Months after the departure of FBI: Most Wanted boss David Hudgins as showrunner (with Law & Order: SVU's Warren Leight as his replacement), Deadline reports that Michael Michele is no longer on board as a CIA series regular. Likely best known for her work on ER, Michele was on board CIA as the head of the Agency's New York Station. No details are currently available about whether her character will be recast or replaced.
Eriq La Salle, another ER vet, was also on board as a director and executive producer. He seemed like a natural choice, as a longtime producer on NBC's Chicago P.D. and directing credits on a long list of Wolf Entertainment TV shows, including Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Law & Order, FBI, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and On Call, the last of which also featured him as a series regular.
Deadline now reports that La Salle has left CIA as an executive producer, although he did direct the series premiere. Filming reportedly has not been affected. According to Nick Gehlfuss, filming in New York City has been one of the highlights of the new show.
Nick Gehlfuss Talks Joining CIA After Chicago Med
I spoke with Nick Gehlfuss earlier this fall for his return to Chicago Med in the 200th episode, which he described as "paying a wonderful homage to the show" and he was "just extremely grateful to be a part of it." He was busy filming CIA for CBS at the time. When asked what it's been like to return to the Wolf Entertainment universe as a different character after more than 200 episodes as Dr. Will Halstead in One Chicago, he shared:
I am on cloud nine. It is the best. This production company, Wolf Entertainment, no one does it better than them, what they do. And I am in a new city now, in New York City, which I did live in at one point. It is one of my favorite cities. I'm just so thankful, and it makes complete sense in a lot of ways. And I'm looking to go to the distance with this new show, like we did with Med.
Interestingly, Gehlfuss' on-screen brother from his Chicago Med days, Jesse Lee Soffer, also left One Chicago and joined a Dick Wolf show on CBS. FBI: International unfortunately came to an end back in the spring, but Gehlfuss is clearly on board for the long run on CIA. He went on:
I will say it's just a wonderful troop, I would say, of actors and creatives that I know a lot of, but now I'm meeting a whole new bunch. The best of the best people are working on this stuff right now. I mean, what more can you ask for?
Like the shows from the Law & Order and FBI corners of the Wolf TV universe, CIA will be able to take advantage of filming on location in New York City. Gehlfuss, who was able to do the same in the Windy City during his Chicago Med days, only had good things to say about filming in NYC:
That's the authenticity of it, and you don't have to fake anything. Shooting in New York City on the streets is just electric. This new group of people is fantastic as well, so a lot of potential here.
So, what kind of character will Gehlfuss be playing in his first return to TV since Chicago Med? Well, according to the actor, viewers shouldn't expect him to be playing Will 2.0 on his new show. He previewed:
I'm playing a by-the-book FBI agent, which is very different than Will Halstead. Will was, if anything, nothing by the book.
Nick Gehlfuss' "by-the-book FBI agent" will likely run into his share of challenges with his new partner: a rule-breaking loose cannon CIA officer played by Tom Ellis. They join forces to work out of the CIA's New York Station, which could be a solid explanation for why this FBI agent isn't frequently crossing paths with Missy Peregrym's Maggie, Zeeko Zaki's OA, and the rest of the agents on FBI.
At the time of writing, CBS has not confirmed a premiere date for CIA with Nick Gehlfuss and Tom Ellis, but the new drama is expected to arrive in midseason 2026. In the meantime, you can always revisit Gehlfuss' years as Dr. Will Halstead with Chicago Med streaming via a Peacock subscription.
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