CBS Continues FBI Franchise’s Winning Tradition On CIA Ahead Of Premiere

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The popular FBI series is growing, with CIA building on its success. Fans were upset when FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International were unexpectedly cancelled, and even petitioned for their return. However, both spinoffs ended last spring, leaving only the original FBI series as part of this shared TV world for the 2025-2026 season so far.

Good news for fans – a new show, CIA, is coming to CBS! Starring Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss, the series centers around CIA agent Colin Glass and FBI agent Bill Goodman as they investigate challenging cases. Originally planned for a fall release, the premiere was delayed due to changes in the cast and storyline. While it’s a bit different from how most network TV shows launch spinoffs, CIA still uses a successful formula from Wolf Entertainment.

CIA Recasts Wolf Entertainment Actors On A Different Show With Bigger Roles

©NBC / Courtesy MovieStillsDB

Even though the FBI shows aren’t on NBC like Law & Order and One Chicago, I still see them as part of the same shared universe created by Wolf Entertainment. They’ve done a few crossovers with those other shows, proving they all exist in the same world, which is really cool to me.

This allowed the Law & Order and FBI shows to successfully use a common casting strategy: moving actors to new series with larger parts. For instance, Jeremy Sisto, Dylan McDermott, and Jesse Lee Soffer all appeared on different Law & Order or Chicago PD shows before later joining FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International, respectively.

The show continues its practice of casting familiar faces with the addition of Gehlfuss and Natalee Linez. Gehlfuss previously starred as Dr. Will Halstead on Chicago Med, and Linez played Valeria Soto on Chicago PD. Now, they’ll be playing new characters: Gehlfuss is Goodman, a by-the-book partner to the main character, and Linez is Gina Rojas, a CIA analyst. Both actors are expected to have larger roles in this show than they did in Chicago Med and Chicago PD.

Why Wolf Entertainment Tends To Re-Use The Same Actors Despite Different Characters

Paramount Press

This practice of reusing actors isn’t unique to the FBI series. It’s common in other shows created by the same team. For instance, Chuck Lorre often brings back actors he’s enjoyed working with before, believing they’re a good fit for new roles, as seen with actors like Lance Barber and Billy Gardell. This allows the creative team to already know an actor’s strengths and how they’ll perform.

Wolf Entertainment stands out because its shows are so widespread on network television. Dick Wolf’s team currently produces three interconnected series – Law & Order, One Chicago, and the FBI shows. While not officially branded, the new CIA series is also part of the FBI franchise as CBS revives that brand after the cancellation of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.

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2026-02-09 20:52