CIA: The New Dimension of FBI Universe - Tom Ellis Leads Dick Wolf's Latest Procedural Drama

CIA is the new series produced by Dick Wolf that further expands the FBIfranchise universe. At the center of this ambitious project is Tom Ellis, the Welsh actor who achieved worldwide fame with Lucifer and who now undertakes a radically different professional challenge, playing an operative agent with decidedly unconventional methods.

The actor portrays Colin Glass, a CIA officer characterized by fast-talking and a marked propensity to break rules in order to achieve objectives. The show's narrative structure is based on the classic dynamic of opposing partners: Glass must collaborate with Bill Goodman, an FBI veteran played by Nick Gehlfuss (already a familiar face from Chicago Med), who firmly believes in the rigor of law and official procedures. This strange alliance, forced to operate at the CIA station in New York, promises to balance moments of high tension with the character contrasts of the two protagonists, making their differences the true engine of investigations on American soil.

Filming for the series began in September 2025 among the streets of Manhattan, offering passersby numerous glimpses of the set. Production chronicles report some significant variations in the cast during the early phases of work. Originally, the role of the CIA station director had been assigned to Michael Michele, but after filming had already begun, the actress left the project and was replaced by Necar Zadegan, an actress appreciated for her background in NCIS: New Orleans. Other confirmations in the cast include Natalee Linez, in the role of analyst Gina Rojas, and Jeremy Sisto, who will appear in the first episode to seal the connection with the parent series.

The debut of CIA on American CBS screens is Monday, February 23, 2026, occupying the evening time slot immediately after episodes of FBI. Parallel to this commitment, Tom Ellis is involved in another significant project titled Second Wife, a dark-toned comedy produced for Hulu where he acts alongside Emma Roberts. This latter series represents a particularly significant professional collaboration for the actor, having been conceived and written by his wife Meaghan Oppenheimer.