An era ended on CBS in the spring 2025 TV schedule, with the very last FBI Tuesday. The network cancelled both FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, then announced FBI's move to Monday in the 2025-2026 fall TV lineup. A new show is joining CBS' corner of the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe, however, with Lucifer alum Tom Ellis starring in CIA. I learned from CIA showrunner and Most Wanted vet David Hudgins how closely CIA will be tied to the FBIs, and I'm now rethinking my stance on FBI characters making appearances.
Tom Ellis stars as a fast-talking CIA case officer by the name of Hart Hoxton, opposite a seasoned FBI agent who is more inclined to play by the book. The duo will be paired to combat threats in the United States. Per CBS' announcement that CIA will air at 10 p.m. ET on Mondays in the fall, it will be a "universe expansion of the FBI series."
The show was initially announced as a spinoff of FBI by the name of FBI: CIA, with the expectation that fans of the original series would get a taste before the end of the spring. Showrunner/executive producer David Hudgins, who also opened up about wanting a "proper goodbye" for FBI: Most Wanted, explained to CinemaBlend the name change from FBI: CIA to CIA:
It was originally conceived as a backdoor pilot in FBI but now the viewers will meet these characters for the first time in the series premiere which is set in the New York CIA unit.
This isn't the first time that CBS will be expanding a TV universe without a new show getting a backdoor pilot, as the same happened with NCIS: Hawai'i back in 2021. It seems like a safe bet that operating out of the New York CIA unit will be considerably different from what Isobel and Co. get up to in the NYC FBI field office over on FBI, to keep the two New York-set shows separate.
Clearly, CIA joining FBI on Monday nights isn't going to be like Dick Wolf's One Chicago Wednesdays, with close bonds between all three shows and frequent mini crossovers over on NBC. When I went on to ask David Hudgins how closely CIA will be tied to FBI since it didn't get that backdoor pilot, he previewed:
It won’t be - it is its own show.
It sounds like CIA will be set in the same universe as FBI, but that may be as far as the ties between the two dramas go. Of course, with months to go before CBS' fall schedule kicks off, there's not much footage to go on. Still, the network provided a peek of Tom Ellis in action as Hart Hoxton. Take a look:
At the time of writing, the FBI agent who will be partnering with Tom Ellis' character seemingly has not been cast, which opened fans up to speculation about whether an FBI: Most Wanted or FBI: International star could fill the vacancy. Barnes' new job as leader of the Fugitive Task Force ruled her out after the Most Wanted finale, and most of the Fly Team seemed content in Budapest in the International finale, but there are a lot of agents who theoretically could join CIA.
But after David Hudgins' comments, I'm inclined to suspect that the FBI agent co-leading CIA won't be a familiar face, and even small cameos like Alana De La Garza or Jeremy Sisto popping up might be unlikely. That's not a bad thing, as the show deserves a fresh start, especially if it's not launching via a backdoor pilot. In fact, perhaps newcomers will be more encouraged to give the show a shot.
So, what now? Only time will tell who David Hudgins and Co. fill the CIA cast out with after bringing in the Lucifer leading man, but you can always revisit the final seasons of Most Wanted and International streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. The Season 7 finale of FBI is certainly worth revisiting after after a script that even had the stars wondering "What in the world are they doing?"
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
