The long road to the premiere of CIA as the next addition to the Dick Wolf TV universe is coming to an end early in the 2026 TV schedule, with Nick Gehlfuss of Chicago Med fame joining Lucifer's Tom Ellis as the leading men. It was announced a while ago that Gehlfuss would be playing a by-the-book FBI agent opposite Ellis as more of a loose cannon CIA agent. Now, months later, the first look has released to reveal their odd couple dynamic, with some explosions and shootouts to go along with it for good measure.
As a fan of both actors who has also been missing FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International since their cancellations, sign me up for CIA! Check out the footage below:
Nick Gehlfuss opened up to CinemaBlend about being "on cloud nine" in New York City for CIA, but that doesn't seem to be the case for his new character upon meeting Tom Ellis' character. The new CBS drama kicks off when strait-laced FBI Agent Bill Goodman (Gehlfuss) is added to a joint CIA/FBI task force, which results in a partnership with a roguish officer by the name of Colin Glass (Tom Ellis). The rules that Bill knows from his work at the Bureau don't apply to working with Colin at the Agency, and it looks like the duo's partnership will get off to a rocky start.
And they seem to be pretty self-aware of their clashing approaches! About halfway through the first look, Bill says "After you, Oscar," to which Colin responds with "Felix." If the show itself is making comparisons to The Odd Couple, I think it's fair for fans to do so as well! It's a safe bet that CIA will have fewer laughs than that classic sitcom, but the nod makes for a fun moment in the trailer.
The first look does leave me with a few questions, not the least of which is how CIA will fit into the larger Dick Wolf TV universe, if at all. The Wolf Entertainment world is currently comprised of seven dramas that are technically connected after a 2020 crossover: CBS' FBI, NBC's Law & Order shows, and NBC's One Chicago trio.
That said, FBI boss Mike Weiss told CinemaBlend earlier this fall that there's "no crossover from NBC to CBS" nowadays, as there's "a bright line between those two universes." (FBI currently stars three former Law & Order franchise actors as different characters.) Plans for CIA to launch as an FBI backdoor pilot were scrapped months ago, and original showrunner David Hudgins confirmed in the spring that CIA "is its own show" rather than connected to FBI.
But that said, Hudgins departed CIA as showrunner over the summer and was succeeded by Law & Order: SVU vet Warren Leight. Leight then exited back in November, with FBI's Mike Weiss said to be potentially stepping up for the job. The first look doesn't seem like CIA is set in the same world as FBI, but it's hard to say with any certainty after just a minute of footage. At this point, I'm also wondering about Colin Glass as a British CIA Agent, since Tom Ellis is using a British accent for the role.
CIA will premiere on Monday, February 23 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, directly following the winter premiere of FBI Season 8 at 9 p.m. ET. Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss' show is replacing Watson on Monday nights, with the Morris Chestnut-starring medical drama returning to Sundays.
