The upcomingFBIspinoffCIAhas a number of upsides that makethe cancellations ofFBI: InternationalandFBI: Most Wantedeasier to accept. The controversial fate of the procedurals is once again in the spotlight, withFBI: Internationalco-creator Derek Haas recently sharing that he didn’t know why the show was canceled. It is a fair note to strike, considering that the spinoffs performed better than some of the shows that were renewed by CBS. But in interviews, top executives explained that the reasons for not granting a renewal were varied and went beyond just viewership metrics.
With a packed schedule of new and returning series, CBS execs said that they had to look at the long-term prospects and costs of their lineup and make decisions about which shows to keep. But on the more positive side, the network has confirmedFBIseason 9. It has alsopicked upCIA, a new spinoff starringLuciferandTell Me Liesactor Tom Ellis, which will premiere later this year. In the long run, it may help to soften the blow of losingFBI: InternationalandFBI: Most Wanted.
1CIA Keeps FBI: International’s Aspect Of Intelligence Gathering Abroad
It Will Feel Familiar In A Way
CIAwill focus on Ellis as Hart Hoxton, a wildcard CIA officer paired with a rule-following FBI agentas they team up to face global threats against the U.S. That premise will maintain the global focus ofFBI: International, which featured the globe-spanning and elite “Fly Team.” A key example of this occurred in the season 2 episode “Unburdened,” which featured the city of Paris and zeroed in ontheFBI: Internationalcharactersin a race against time to stop a dirty bomb.
CIAdoes not currently have a premiere date.
CIAdiverges in that, at least for now, the focus will be on two lead protagonists rather than a group element. That may change once more is revealed about the plot of the new spinoff. But the more pared-down aspect ofCIA, as it currently stands, opens up the door for it to honor past spinoffs in a much more concrete way.
2CIA Can Bring In Some Members From The Fugitive Task Force
The New Showrunner Will Be Key
CIAhails from Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios, with David Hudgins and Dick Wolf as co-creators. Hudgins will also serve as showrunner, which is a crucial tie to pastFBIspinoffs. Considering that Hudgins was also the showrunner ofFBI: Most Wanted, it opens the door for some fan-favorite characters to appear in a guest-starring capacity.
Even looking beyond theFBIfranchise and the storylines that the Fugitive Task Force could appear in, bringing in past characters is part of the DNA of Dick Wolf dramas likeLaw & Order. The seminal police procedural is known for bringing back actors for the occasional guest spot, such asLaw & Order: SVU’s BD Wong.Having a second, successfulFBIshow increases the chances that former cast members can pop up for an episode or two.
3It Brings Back Tom Ellis To A Procedural Drama
He’s Been Missed
Ellis has kept busy since his time as the titularLucifer. He played a seemingly unfaithful husband in Hulu’sTell Me Liesand starred in the Netflix romantic comedyPlayers. But his presence inCIAbrings him back to the format that provided him with his breakout role. Hart Hoxton and Lucifer Morningstar are very different, though they are united in a few key ways that set the spinoff up for success.
Ellis has mentioned thatHoxton is a complex figure, willing to deceive to get what he wants.It may be a more sinister take than the Devil himself, since Lucifer Morningstar generally does not lie. But the choice of casting does make for a more interesting experience for fans who have tracked Ellis' career for several years.
We Could See Lucifer Reunions
One of the positives of casting someone like Ellis, with an established screen presence and filmography, is that it opens up the possibility that he could once again share the screen with some of hisLucifercastmates.Shifting Gears, the new family sitcom on ABC, for example, followed this tradition when it reunited co-leads Tim Allen and Kat Dennings with some of their co-stars from previous works.
Nancy Travis
Tim Allen inLast Man Standing
There are no casting details onCIAother than Ellis. But it wouldn’t be too surprising if the upcoming drama managed to reunite the actor with some of hisLuciferco-stars. In an interview withScreenRant’s Alisha Grauso,Aimee Garcia was asked about the possibility of reuniting with Ellison his new show. The actress, who played Ella Lopez onLucifer, noted that it was “a great idea.” There are also hopes that Ellis’Luciferco-star Lauren German may end her acting hiatus for aCIAcameo.
5CIA Could Give The FBI Franchise The Leading Romance It Needs
Especially If Maggie & OA Won’t Happen
Another perk of adding an actor like Ellis, known for his romantic roles, is that it potentially opens up an avenue that has generally been closed off in Dick Wolf police dramas. Decades intoLaw & Order: SVU, Stabler and Benson are still having mournful discussions about why they can’t be together.Maggie and OA’s fan-favorite statushasn’t inched them any closer to being a couple in spite of all that they’ve shared. Beginning fresh with Ellis could, and arguably should, allowCIAto go in a direction that theFBIfranchise has generally avoided.
Ellis has played different shades of lovers, whether it’s the deceitful and problematic Oliver onTell Me Liesor the swoonworthy Lucifer Morningstar. Hoxton sounds like he’s somewhere between the two characters, based on the comments from Ellis, andCIAcould lessen the sting of two cancelled spinoffs by attempting something different with theFBIfranchise.
6CIA Could Have A Stronger Character Focus
It Would Be A Shift
FBIand its offshoots have generally followed the formula of occasionally including character-specific episodes in between case-of-the-week installments and longer arcs that take up the bulk of a season. While this approach has its benefitsin offering the action that viewers expect from a police procedural, the mainFBIcharacters can sometimes be shortchanged in terms ofcharacter development. By centering Ellis and potentially keeping its cast small,CIAcan followLaw & Order: Organized Crimein terms of being more character-focused than a strict procedural.
7CIA’s Narrower Focus Could Help It Find An Audience
The Show Has A Clear Objective
CIAwill focus on two very different partners who slowly begin to realize that their differences are actually strengths, as they work together out of New York’s CIA station and handle high-profile cases. At least for the start, potentially even the first few seasons,CIAcan get a lot of mileage out of the friction and tension without necessarily copying the path thatFBI: InternationalandFBI: Most Wantedtook. Despite the shared themes and despite existing under one franchise, this narrow focus keepsCIAfrom feeling like a true and perhaps narratively unwarranted replacement.
8CIA’s Success Is Good For The FBI Franchise
It Keeps The Universe Alive
Shows tend to cost more as they go because of increasing production costs and increasing pay for the cast and crew. At a time when networks and studios are looking to tighten their budgets, the impact has already been felt across network television. Even some of theFBIcast have missed episodes, on occasion, as a way of managing finances.
CIAcan get a lot of mileage out of the friction and tension without necessarily copying the path thatFBI: InternationalandFBI: Most Wantedtook…
A spinoff is a more attractive way of keeping a franchise alive because the casts can be relatively smaller and the costs are cheaper, at least at the outset. The success ofCIAcould well lead executives to consider deepening their investment in theFBIfranchise, rather than move away from it, which could potentially allow forFBI: Most WantedandFBI: Internationalto live on in some capacity.
