We finally know why FBI landed on CBS and not NBC as part of the usual Dick Wolf TV empire!
Dick Wolf and NBC have a relationship going all the way back to the 1980s when he broke out as a writer for the landmark cop drama Hill Street Blues. He followed that with Miami Vice, learning the craft as a writer and producer.
That led to Law & Order premiering in 1990 and building up as a landmark TV show with numerous spinoffs. Wolf added to it with Chicago Fire in 2012, which birthed the One Chicago world.
So when it was announced that Wolf had a new drama in 2018 centered on the FBI, it was natural to assume this would be on NBC as well. Instead, FBI premiered on CBS and was followed by its various spin-offs.
It seems odd and more so by how FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International stream on both Paramount+ and Peacock, which handles NBC shows. Having them on separate networks still seems off but Wolf just explained why!
Why is FBI on CBS?
Talking to reporters at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour on Sunday, Oct. 5 (via The Hollywood Reporter), Wolf finally revealed the simple reason FBI was on CBS was that there was just no room for it at NBC.
“There was no more beachfront real estate at NBC. And [NBC Entertainment president] Bob [Greenblatt] agreed and basically we’ve come up with a formula where it will be a profitable venture for both studios because it’s a co-production.”
The NBC lineup at the time was a mix of regular scripted fare alongside various reality and game shows. CBS offered more space on their schedule and FBI benefited from having NCIS as a lead-in.
It's aguable the show may not have connected as well on NBC as its procedural format fits better on CBS with its various franchises like NCIS. It also offered more space for the spinoffs which lasted until earlier in 2025. So, really, CBS was the better overall fit for the show and given it's entering its eighth season, it was a good gamble.
It’s helped build that brand which will continue with a new CIA-based spinoff coming in 2026. Wolf also made it clear at the panel that unlike other showrunners, he’s not planning to forsake networks for streaming deals.
“My appetite for expansion is undiminished. I am still a broadcast supplier. I have nothing against the concept of streaming. The math is a little daunting to me. I like doing 22, 23, 24 episodes a season in the abstract and not eight, because it takes almost as much work to do eight as it does to do a 24-episode season.”
Wolf also confirmed that he is always thinking of potential spinoffs for these franchises but “Talk about putting the cart before the horse. … If this one works, I’d anticipate we’d all try to double down in some way. It’s worked before.”
That is good advice from Wolf and gives hope the FBI universe can continue with this new spinoff and how NBC’s loss was CBS’s gain of a great franchise.
FBI season 8 premieres on Monday, Oct. 13 at 9/8c on CBS.
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