There has been a lot of mixed news for potential CIA fans recently. However, the most recent change behind the scenes could lead to some closure for FBI: International fans. That’s if the change means a rethink on the original lack of plan for crossover characters.
Originally, there were no intentions of bringing any FBI: International or FBI: Most Wanted characters into CIA. In a way, this made sense since the creative team would want the new FBI spinoff to stand out on its own. However, it was short-sighted, and now a change could help the new spinoff succeed.
CIA has a new showrunner
When Deadline announced that CIA was being moved to the midseason, it came with a surprising update. David Hudgins is no longer going to be the showrunner for the struggling series. Instead, Warren Leight is taking over showrunner duties.
Leight was showrunner on Law & Order: SVU between 2011 and 2016. He then returned to the series to resume showrunning duties from 2019 to 2022. So, he certainly has experience in running successful Dick Wolf shows.
It makes sense to bring him into CIA when it is struggling to figure out what it wants to be. After all, Tom Ellis has been the only character cast so far, and now the scripts are being polished before more characters are added.
Including an FBI: International character could really help
This could be good news for FBI: International fans if Leight is interested in helping another storyline continue. FBI: International ended with major cliffhangers, and the biggest one was whether Vo or Raines would get the GS-14 position. It left many angry that they didn’t get answers, even if it would mean that one of the team members was leaving.
CIA needs to get off to a running start in the midseason, and the best way to do that is to have a character people are already connected to. Either Vo or Raines could come into the series, sharing updates about who got the promotion that was on offer and how they ended up getting this job opportunity. Out of the two, I’d prefer to see Vo, but honestly, I’ll take either of them for some closure.
Of course, there’s no reason for Leight to go through with this. He has no connection to the FBI spinoff series. It is just wishful thinking, and it would be great to see Tom Ellis’s Hart Hoxton up against someone like Raines or Vo who wants to do things by the book.
CIA will air sometime in 2026 on CBS.
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