After three adrenaline-fueled seasons across Europe and beyond, FBI: International is officially coming to an end — but its global spirit will live on. As CBS prepares to close this chapter of its hit franchise, the network has already greenlit CIA, a bold new spinoff designed to carry the international torch into even riskier, more uncharted territory.
Fans of FBI: International know it wasn’t just another procedural. It was a show that dared to step outside U.S. borders, weaving complex global cases with personal stakes and team dynamics. Headlined by Scott Forrester and the Fly Team, the series tackled everything from child trafficking in the Balkans to cyberattacks in Germany. It was a love letter to transnational law enforcement — and a nod to how crime has no borders in the modern world.
With its finale, FBI: International hands off the baton to CIA, a new kind of show that ups the ante. Slated for a Fall 2025 premiere, CIA won’t just follow agents on foreign soil — it dives headfirst into the shadowy world of covert operations and intelligence warfare.
At the center of this next chapter is Tom Ellis, best known for playing the devilishly charming Lucifer Morningstar. This time, he trades hellfire for high stakes espionage, portraying a rebellious CIA operative who thrives on instinct and operates outside the lines. He’s paired with an unnamed FBI agent — a by-the-book type who sees the world in rules and structure. If FBI: International was about unity, CIA seems built on controlled chaos.
The creative direction is just as daring. While FBI: International launched via backdoor pilot and shared threads with its FBI siblings, CIA comes out of the gate with a straight-to-series order. That kind of vote of confidence from CBS shows just how invested the network is in redefining the genre. The man behind the wheel? David Hudgins, former showrunner of FBI: Most Wanted, bringing his sharp sense of character and pacing to a brand-new narrative universe.
But don’t expect CIA to just be International 2.0. It’s not just about moving from Interpol-level investigations to CIA black ops. This is a series that promises to dig into the ethics of espionage, the cost of secrets, and what happens when two agencies with wildly different mandates are forced to work together. Where FBI: International often leaned on global cooperation, CIA hints at tension, compromise, and uneasy alliances — all played out against the backdrop of real-world conflicts and emerging threats.
Though the Fly Team may be grounded, their impact is lasting. FBI: International proved that fans are hungry for stories beyond the confines of New York City or Washington, D.C. And now, CIA is poised to take those stories even further — with more grit, more danger, and a fresh lens.
Will the new duo match the chemistry of the Fly Team? Can CIA carry the global drama torch? One thing’s clear — the mission isn’t over. It’s only evolving.