All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Soaps.com may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Chicago Med vet Nick Gehlfuss and Lucifer star Tom Ellis make for an unlikely partnership in the first trailer for the FBI Universe offshoot CIA.

In the below first look at the Dick Wolf-produced procedural, Gehlfuss’ FBI agent and Ellis’ CIA officer butt heads over their different methods. “Lying sure seems to come easy for you,” Gehlfuss’ character accuses.

“You guys work in the open, we work in the shadows,” Ellis’ alter ego argues, while calling FBI agents paper pushers.

But in the end, there’s one thing both men can agree on: It’s all about keeping their country safe.

CIA‘s arrival in February 2026 comes after the cancellations of spinoffs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, which were axed for financial reasons, according to TVLine. “We have to be fiscally responsible, and ultimately those deals and the shows just weren’t penciling out for us for an economic perspective,” Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, explained during the network’s fall schedule press event.

What Is CIA About?

“When by-the-book FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman (Gehlfuss) is loaned out to a clandestine CIA/FBI task force, he finds himself teamed up with secretive and roguish CIA case officer Colin Glass (Ellis). Together they will work covert operations in New York, uncovering international plots, terrorist cells, and geopolitical secrets,” reads the official description. “On CIA, Bill will learn the rules of this murky world on the fly as Colin leads him deeper into spy games where only one thing is clear — their work keeps America safe, even if no one will ever know what they did in the shadows. 

Who Will Star in CIA?

Ellis stars as “a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer,” while Gehlfuss is the “by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent (Gehlfuss) who believes in the rule of law.”

Natalee Linez (pictured below), who recurred on Chicago P.D. last season as Atwater’s therapist love interest Val, will play Gina Rojas, a trusted CIA analyst on the team, Deadline reports. Additionally, Necar Zadegan, who played Special Agent Hannah Koury on NCIS: New Orleans, has joined the series, replacing Michael Michele, who originally played the Chief of Station in the crime procedural, per Deadline.

Will There Be Crossovers With FBI?

“We might get a little bit of crossover with FBI from time to time,” Ellis told US Weekly, “but ultimately, this [show] is going to be about how the CIA goes about its business on homeland soil and why it’s important that these very different bureaus share information with each other and how for the greater good.”

When Will CIA Premiere?

The series was originally slated to premiere in fall 2025, but will now launch Monday, Feb. 23, 2026 at 10/9c on CBS.

Is There a Trailer For CIA?

Check out the first look at the upcoming series below: