There's an exciting update about CIA starring Tom Ellis

While it was somewhat disappointing to hear that CIA would move to the midseason, that update wasn’t all that surprising. Filming had been delayed due to casting and script rewriting issues, and so it pushed everything in production back. Well, there’s finally some exciting news.

Tom Ellis shared the good news about production with Collider. It turns out that production is set to start soon, and that means it’s now on track for a midseason premiere.

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Tom Ellis shares when CIA production will start

While speaking with the publication, Ellis shared that production for the FBI spinoff will start in September. This does sound late compared to other shows, but it’s not airing in the fall anymore. A September production makes a lot of sense for a midseason start, and it does mean that there will be plenty of episodes in the can for when CBS premieres the show in either January or February.

"We haven’t started yet. We start shooting in September because we’re going to be a midseason."

Ellis went on to share that it was odd not filming a pilot. The series was originally going to have a backdoor pilot in FBI season 7, but due to casting issues, that was pushed back until eventually the idea was scrapped. Instead, CBS ordered the show straight to series, showing its support from the very beginning.

It’s an odd thing for actors not to have a pilot. The Lucifer vet shared that pilot episodes are usually when the voice of the character is found. Now he has to wait for the first script to come through.

"A New Day” -- Coverage of the CBS Original Series FBI, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Bennett Raglin/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.“A New Day” - After Jubal narrowly escapes a calculated assault on a secret FBI office, the team discovers an anti-government group has infiltrated the FBI. Unsure of who to trust, the team must work in the shadows to unmask the culprits threatening the sanctity of the New York field office, on the seventh season finale

Casting for the FBI spinoff is still happening

In some disappointing news, there isn’t a female lead for the series just yet. Ellis went on to share that the casting process is still ongoing, but he’s optimistic and hopeful.

The show did go through a change of showrunner with FBI: Most Wanted’s David Hudgins stepping down and Law & Order: SVU’s Warren Leight taking over. With this came the need for script tweaks, and that’s what pushed the fall premiere date back to the midseason.

Now that the writing is on its way, Ellis shares that the show is finding its own identity. While it is still set in the world of FBI, it’s not going to have the same tone as the main series. That’s a good thing, though. When you look at the FBI spinoffs International and Most Wanted, they had their own tone that didn’t match with the flagship series, helping each show stand out on its own.

"I think there is a shared feeling that we would like to really make our mark as a show. I think initially we were going to be a spin out series from FBI. The more it’s gone on, I think we’re actually gaining our own identity."

CIA is set to premiere in 2026 on CBS.