On Monday, February 23, 2026, CBS unveiled its latest entry in the ever-expanding Dick Wolf procedural universe: CIA. The new series, spun off from the popular FBI franchise, brings together a pair of unlikely partners—Tom Ellis’s British CIA operative Colin Glass and Nick Gehlfuss’s by-the-book FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman—on a joint task force in the heart of New York City. It’s a familiar formula with a fresh twist, and for fans of the genre, it’s another reason to tune in every Monday night at 10 p.m. ET.
According to Entertainment Weekly, CIA “follows a CIA agent and an FBI agent as they team up to uncover international plots, terrorist cells, and geopolitical secrets.” The show’s premise leans into the classic odd-couple dynamic that’s powered so many Wolf dramas before it: Glass, described as “secretive and roguish,” operates with a devil-may-care charm, while Goodman is rigid, rule-abiding, and driven by a deep sense of duty. Their partnership, though rocky at first, quickly becomes the core of the series—each man’s strengths compensating for the other’s weaknesses.
Tom Ellis, best known for his six-season turn as the titular antihero in Lucifer, steps into the role of Colin Glass with a sly grin and a British accent. In an interview with The New York Times, Ellis revealed that the decision to make Glass British came after a conversation with Dick Wolf. “It’s actually a wonderful tool for him to have in his armory,” Ellis explained. “Because the CIA can’t operate properly on U.S. soil, he doesn’t have a gun. He doesn’t have anything to protect himself apart from his guile.” That resourcefulness—and the tension it creates with his American counterparts—drives much of the show’s intrigue.
Nick Gehlfuss, fresh off eight seasons as Dr. Will Halstead on Chicago Med, brings a different energy to Bill Goodman. With a law degree and two tours in Afghanistan under his belt, Goodman is the consummate professional, proud of his FBI pedigree but drawn to the high-stakes world of covert operations. “I think Bill was very apprehensive going over to do this because he’s living his dream job in New York being FBI,” Gehlfuss told Parade. “But there’s this thing that his superior tells him about and that could be a major career move for him… a career maker.” As the series unfolds, Goodman’s rigid worldview is tested by Glass’s unconventional methods, and together, the two form what Ellis called “quite a prolific team.”
Supporting the duo are Necar Zadegan as Nikki Reynard, the CIA’s Deputy Chief of Station in New York, and Natalee Linez as Gina Gosian, an ambitious young analyst. Zadegan, previously seen in NCIS: New Orleans and 24, described Reynard as a character in transition: “She’s decided now to come on and take a more kind of stable job, let’s call it, and also work with a team, which she seems to be taking to quite well, but those things offer challenges and offer for her character uncertainty all the time,” she told TV Insider. Reynard’s struggle to balance leadership with her instincts for fieldwork promises to be a recurring thread.
Linez’s Gina Gosian, meanwhile, is a classic procedural up-and-comer—eager, resourceful, and determined to prove herself. “If someone wants to put something on her desk, she is down to do it. She’s not going to pass it off to anyone else,” Linez said to TV Insider. “She wants to show that she’s ready for anything that’s thrown her way.” Her role as the team’s intel specialist places her at the center of the action, bridging the gap between the field agents and the shadowy world of intelligence analysis.
Of course, no Dick Wolf show would be complete without crossovers, and CIA is no exception. Jeremy Sisto reprises his FBI role as Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, who helps launch the new task force by recommending Goodman for the assignment. As Deadline and TV Insider reported, other familiar faces from the FBI universe—including Missy Peregrym’s Maggie Bell and Alana De La Garza’s Isobel Castille—are set to make appearances, weaving the new series firmly into the fabric of Wolf’s “expanded FBI New York Universe.”
The show wastes no time diving into high-stakes cases. The pilot episode, “Directed Energy,” sees Glass and Goodman thrown together to recover a stolen top-secret weapon from a U.S. defense contractor. Their new partnership gets off to a bumpy start, but as the hour unfolds, it becomes clear that their opposing viewpoints might just be their greatest asset. The second episode, “Fatal Defect,” aired on March 2, 2026, and upped the ante with a mission to track down a known smuggler and navigate the complications of working with a foreign intelligence officer looking to defect. While CBS hasn’t released a full episode schedule, the format promises a blend of procedural familiarity and international intrigue.
Critics, such as those at the Los Angeles Times, have noted that CIA “sticks to the usual procedural plot in latest expansion of ‘FBI’ universe.” The show’s conservative approach—both in terms of its storytelling and its depiction of America as a nation under threat—may feel formulaic to some, but for others, it’s precisely what makes these series so reliably entertaining. The odd-couple dynamic between Glass and Goodman, the ticking-clock plots, and the blend of action and banter are all familiar beats for Wolf’s fans.
Yet, there’s a sense of potential in the air. As Entertainment Weekly pointed out, showrunner Mike Weiss is committed to making the most of the crossover opportunities, promising, “We’re hoping to do as much crossover as possible between the two shows. We love the idea of an expanded Dick Wolf FBI New York Universe.” For viewers, this means a steady stream of familiar faces and interconnected storylines that reward loyal fans of the franchise.
For those eager to watch, CIA airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream episodes live and on-demand, while Essential plan members can catch up the day after airing. And for those who can’t get enough, the original FBI series is also available on both platforms.
In a television landscape crowded with reboots and spinoffs, CIA doesn’t break the mold—but it doesn’t have to. With a charismatic cast, a proven formula, and the promise of high-stakes drama, it’s poised to become another staple in the Dick Wolf procedural empire. For fans of the genre, the message is clear: the spy games are just getting started, and there’s plenty more to come from the shadows of New York.