Questions are being raised about the future of upcoming FBI spinoff CIA after multiple exits from the CBS police drama.
Michael Michele was set to play head of the CIA’s New York Station, but she just left the series, Deadline reported on Nov. 1. Her role may be recast.
Days after Michele’s departure, executive producer and director Eriq La Salle left the show.
Related: CBS Cancels ‘The Equalizer’ After 5 Seasons
Over the summer, showrunner David Hudgins (FBI: Most Wanted) unexpectedly left the spinoff leading to production delays. He was replaced by Warren Leight (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), but the show was pushed from an originally planned fall release to midseason 2026.
No one is saying what’s causing the turmoil, but something is going on.
The series has been touted as a replacement after CBS canceled FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted earlier this year.
The two shows ranked among the 20 most-watched programs of the 2024-2025 broadcast season. Each show drew more than 6 million weekly viewers, while flagship drama FBI averaged just over 8 million viewers a week last season.
In April 2025, CBS gave the CIA spinoff a straight-to-series order, with Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss leading the cast.
The one-hour drama follows “two unlikely partners – a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law,” according to the official description.
The two are assigned to work in the CIA’s New York Station to track criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, and must learn to work together. Natalee Linez is also part of the main cast.
The spinoff is produced by Universal Television and Wolf Entertainment. TV legend Dick Wolf is an executive producer alongside Nicole Perlman, Peter Jankowski, and Warren Leight.
The drama is currently filming and is expected to premiere in early 2026 on CBS.
ER alum Eriq La Salle was attached to the show from the start, after starring in, executive producing and directing Prime Video cop show On Call, which was produced by Dick Wolf and created by his son Elliot Wolf.
The series about a rookie paired with a veteran officer patrol in Long Beach, California, was canceled over the summer after one season, reportedly because it was expensive to produce.
Michael Michele also appeared on ER and recently had roles on Star, Dynasty, and in the Lifetime movie Drunk, Driving, and 17.
An exact premiere date for CIA will be announced later.
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