I Just Realized 3 Major CBS Shows All Made The Same Big Change Recently

There have been a lot of changes on television as of late, mostly due to creative or financial reasons. A lot of shows have lost cast members ahead of the current season and will probably continue to do so as the 2026 TV schedule continues. Unfortunately, that’s not all, as I just realized that three major CBS shows have made the same big change recently.

In recent weeks, Fire Country, NCIS: Origins, and the new FBI spinoff, CIA, have all lost their showrunners. CIA has lost two showrunners already, and the show hasn’t even premiered yet. When the series was first announced with its questionable original title, FBI: Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins was set to spearhead the new series. However, in July, it was reported that Hudgins was stepping down while Law & Order: SVU’s former showrunner Warren Leight was stepping up.

Then this past November, Leight was announced to be leaving, while FBI boss Mike Weiss was in talks to take over while still assuming his duties on the Mothership. Following some other behind-the-scenes exits, it seems like things are finally settling into place for CIA, which premieres on February 23 and will even include some crossovers with FBI.

As for Fire Country and NCIS: Origins, the former will be seeing Tia Napolitano stepping down after Season 4, while Origins co-creator and co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal is leaving the NCIS spinoff, as both want to focus on new projects. News of the exits have been shocking, to say the least, especially since no one saw them coming. At the very least, both will serve as showrunners until the end of the season.

The fact that these shows have all lost showrunners is troubling, but Fire Country and Origins are already confirmed to return next season, so at least fans won’t have to worry about the showrunner change affecting the future of the series.

As for CIA, the series has seen quite a lot of changes and delays before it's premiered, and it’s far too early to predict what its future will look like. But again, it seems to be steady now in terms of showrunners and cast, so there will be a lot to look forward to with this first season. And who knows what the future holds for CIA beyond Season 1.

It’s not uncommon for a show to lose its showrunner, even if it’s more than once in a short amount of time. Law & Order: Organized Crime has gone through a handful of showrunners through its five-season run, and it’s still going strong. It’s just crazy that it’s happening with three shows on the same network at the same time, but hopefully this won’t affect anything storyline-wise, as you can never be too sure.