The new crime procedural CIA, starring Tom Ellis, has made its debut with a promising response from critics. The series, which expands the world of FBI, premiered on CBS on February 23, 2026 and has already earned a strong early score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the number of reviews is still limited, the new spin-off is off to a solid start.
What critics are saying about CIA in reviews
The series centers on FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman, played by Nick Gehlfuss, who is temporarily assigned to a secretive joint task force and paired with CIA agent Colin Glass, portrayed by Tom Ellis. As the two work together in New York, they handle covert missions involving international conspiracies, terrorism threats, and sensitive geopolitical matters.
Critics reviewing the early episodes have offered varied perspectives on the show. Writing for Variety, Aramide Tinubu noted that only the pilot was made available to press and suggested the show’s direction may become clearer as more episodes air. She added, “So far, CIA works well as an average New York City-set law-enforcement procedural. Perhaps that will be enough.”
At TheWrap, critic Kayleigh Donaldson wrote, “CIA is a full house bingo card of procedural expectations, as desired by viewers and network executives alike. The pilot hints at some possibly fun spy drama and a hunt for a mole, but don’t expect too many shocks. That’d be beside the point.”
Another review from Fangirlish praised the performances of the lead actors. They reported, “But the best procedurals, the ones that last, do a good job of making us care about the characters. Not just that, they keep us wanting more of at least one dynamic. CBS’s new procedural CIA, a spinoff of the FBI franchise, does just that.”
CIA gets good score on Rotten Tomatoes
On Rotten Tomatoes, CIA has debuted with an 80 percent critics score based on five reviews. An audience rating has not yet been posted.
The show premiered on CBS on February 23, 2026. Since it has only just been released and the number of reviews remains limited, the score could shift as more critics weigh in.
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon.
