{"id":224705,"date":"2026-02-24T02:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T02:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/tom-ellis-breaks-silence-on-fbi-spinoff-cias-premiere-delay-multiple-exits\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T02:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T02:30:25","slug":"tom-ellis-breaks-silence-on-fbi-spinoff-cias-premiere-delay-multiple-exits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/tom-ellis-breaks-silence-on-fbi-spinoff-cias-premiere-delay-multiple-exits\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Ellis Breaks Silence on FBI Spinoff CIA’s Premiere Delay, Multiple Exits"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Tom Ellis<\/strong> revealed why he didn\u2019t watch most of FBI<\/em><\/a> before filming his new spinoff CIA<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo start with, I certainly wanted to keep it separate because it is a very different agency and they run very differently and they operate very differently,\u201d Ellis, 47, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> before the Monday, February 23, premiere. \u201cThe fun of the clash actually plays out better the less I know about FBI and what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis \u201cwatched a little bit<\/a>\u201d before pressing pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I\u2019ve been aware of the shows and of the Dick Wolf TV kingdom for years and years and years. But I didn\u2019t want to know too much about that,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe do cross-pollinate a little bit. But it\u2019s two shows. I wouldn\u2019t say they\u2019re spinoff shows so much as two shows that really complement each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Which CBS Shows Have Recently Gone Through Surprising Showrunner Changes?<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tFire Country isn\u2019t the only CBS show currently going through a surprising showrunner change. News broke in January 2026 that showrunner Tia Napolitano was leaving after multiple onscreen departures. \u201cTia has been instrumental in helping both build and steer Fire Country, which not only became a top series, but is also the foundation of a [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While previewing CIA<\/em>, Ellis broke down the biggest difference<\/a> compared to FBI<\/em>, saying, \u201cThe FBI deals in crimes that have already happened predominantly and the CIA try to stop the crime from happening in the first place. FBI is a very public present arm of the law enforcement. They\u2019re the poster boy of U.S. law enforcement. And the CIA is very much in the shadows \u2014 and doesn\u2019t want to be on any poster. It doesn\u2019t want people to see who they are and they operate in a very sort of voyeuristic manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

FBI<\/em> debuted on CBS in 2019 and follows the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York City. The network followed that up with FBI: Most Wanted<\/em>, which aired from 2020 to 2025, about the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u2019s Fugitive Task Force. There was also the FBI: International<\/em> spinoff about the International Fly Team that ran for four seasons before concluding in 2025.<\/p>\n

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In April 2025, CBS gave CIA<\/em> a straight-to-series order starring Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss<\/strong>. According to the official synopsis, CIA<\/em> centers on \u201ctwo unlikely partners \u2014 a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

The description continued: \u201cWhen this odd couple are assigned to work out of CIA\u2019s New York Station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

After rounding out the cast, CIA<\/em> initially faced a showrunner change<\/a> when Warren Leight<\/strong> replaced FBI: Most Wanted<\/em>\u2018s David Hudgins<\/strong> as showrunner. The changes kept coming when Michael Michele<\/strong>, who was one of the series\u2019 leads, left in November 2025. Days later, Eriq La Salle<\/strong> left the series as executive producer. He was attached to CIA<\/em> since its conception and directed the pilot before his exit.<\/p>\n

Leight then exited as showrunner as well, which caused production to pause. Mike Weiss<\/strong>, the current showrunner of FBI<\/em>, took over as CIA<\/em> continued to find its voice before its series premiere.<\/a><\/p>\n

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