While there has certainly been a lot of disappointing news about the new FBI spinoff, CIA, there has recently been something positive. We have a first-look teaser that actually gets us excited about the series.
The show was originally meant to have a backdoor pilot on FBI season 7, but things changed as there were issues with finding the right cast. Then it was meant to premiere in fall 2025, but with cast changes and showrunner changes, there were further delays. You’ll be forgiven if you worried that the series wouldn’t happen after all, but CBS finally has some good news for us.
CIA’s first look shows us a new dynamic duo working together
In the first look teaser, we get to see Tom Ellis’s Hart Hoxton with Nick Gehlfuss’s FBI agent, Bill Goodman. The two are an unlikely pair, one being from the CIA and the other being part of the FBI, and it’s clear that they have different ways of getting a job done.
As Hoxton explains, the CIA works under the cover of darkness, while the FBI is able to work out in the open. They both have the same goal: keeping the world safe. That’s what they intend to do, and while they have different views on how to do that, they will end up working together.
Originally, the plan was for the FBI agent to be a woman, but those plans changed. Now we have the former Chicago Med actor stepping into the role, and the first look does suggest that it could work.
Take a look at the first look, which likely focuses on the first episode:
When will CIA premiere on CBS?
In some disappointing news, CIA won’t premiere in January 2026. This is usually when we see the CBS midseason shows, but things are changing for 2026, and it’s all due to the Winter Olympics. Instead, it will premiere on Monday, Feb. 23 straight after a new episode of FBI.
CBS decided to hold back on premieres until after the major sporting event, and it does make sense, especially when it comes to a new series. Let’s say CBS brought CIA to our screens at the start of January. We’d get four or five episodes before the series went on another break. That’s less than we would have gotten if the show premiered in the fall and went on a winter break.
By holding the show back until February, there is more consistency. This also works on the other side, as it means no on-off schedule until May finales.
CIA will premiere on Monday, Feb. 23 at 10/9c on CBS.
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