Dick Wolf's New FBI Spinoff Starring Tom Ellis Debuts To Stellar Rotten Tomatoes Score After CBS Premiere

CIA, the new FBI spinoff led by Tom Ellis, is off to a strong start.

Having made its debut on February 23, the CBS action drama is the third spinoff in Dick Wolf’s FBI franchise. It comes after the cancellations of FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, and centers on two mismatched partners paired together. The first is the loose canon Colin Glass (played by Ellis), while the other is the rule-following Bill Goodman (played by Chicago Med‘s Nick Gehlfuss).

CIA currently holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews. It’s worth noting, with the premiere episode having only recently aired, that the score is not final and may fluctuate as more reviews are added in the coming days and weeks. As of now, however, only one review leans negative.

It’s also worth noting that most of the long-running procedurals produced by Dick Wolf, including FBI, do not have Rotten Tomatoes scores for individual seasons. The one exception in the long-running CBS saga is FBI season 1, which has a 65% score based on 24 reviews.

Part of the reason for the lack of reviews is that the TV empire that Dick Wolf cemented with Law & Order is firmly established. Viewers know what they’re getting when they elect to watch one of his dramas, which is a theme that recurs in the positive CIA reviews. The audience is not necessarily going to get anything new or challenging, but the spinoff is made by experts in the genre, and it is fairly enjoyable on that front.

With a main cast that includes Natalee Linez and Necar Zadegan, the joy of CIA may be in watching these two opposite characters having to work in unison. The story zeroes in on how CIA case officer Colin Glass is a reckless rule-breaker who marches to the beat of his own drum. FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman, meanwhile, follows procedure to the letter. Since they are forced to work as a unit, the mismatched pair must learn to put aside their differences for the greater good.

Initially slated for a 2025 debut, CIA was delayed until 2026 following a shake-up in the writers’ room. It has now arrived, leaning into the fanbase that Ellis has built since his stint on Once Upon a Time, as well as Gehlfuss being a veteran of procedurals. It could be a formula that works for CBS in the long run.