A spinoff of CBS and Dick Wolf‘s long-running drama series “FBI,” “CIA” follows an elite FBI/CIA fusion cell that investigates international plots, terrorist cells and geopolitical secrets. A generic police procedural, “CIA” isn’t mind-blowing. However, based on the show’s opener (critics received just one episode for review, which is an anomaly), the series will undoubtedly shift and expand, bringing in viewers who have rocked with “FBI” for the past eight seasons, and newcomers looking for an entry point into the franchise.
The series opener begins in present-day New York City, and follows CIA case officer Colin Glass (Tom Ellis), who receives a call that leads him to a crime scene. A towering and roguish agent who sees rules as mere suggestions, Colin isn’t pleased to see that the FBI has already been tipped off and is swarming around. He’s increasingly annoyed when his presence is questioned by Bill Goodman (Nick Gehlfuss), an FBI Special Agent, whose goody-two-shoes personality and straight-laced looks immediately scream Fed. Unfortunately, for the duo, Colin needs an FBI liaison to operate on U.S. soil. The CIA’s New York deputy chief, Nikki Reynard (Necar Zadegan), FBI Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille (Alana de la Garza) and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto) pair the men together to solve the case, but things don’t exactly go swimmingly.
It’s quite a challenge to evaluate a series in totality based on just one episode, but getting “CIA” to air has not been easy. According to a Variety report from the fall, there was drama behind the scenes: Production for “CIA” was initially pushed back, and then briefly paused, after actress Michael Michele left the show (she was supposed to portray the character that Zadegan now plays). After Michele parted ways with “CIA,” longtime “Law & Order: SVU” showrunner Warren Leight stepped down as showrunner — Leight had taken over the role from David Hudgins. “FBI” showrunner Mike Weiss finally stepped in once Leight exited. These changes moved the show to a midseason premiere rather than its original fall 2025 debut. With only the pilot available to screen, it will be interesting to see whether any pauses or shifts have affected the storytelling as the season progresses. So far, “CIA” works well as an average New York City-set law-enforcement procedural. Perhaps that will be enough.
“CIA” premieres Feb. 23 on CBS, with new episodes dropping weekly on Mondays.
variety.com
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