FBI: CIA Was Supposed To Air In A Back Door Pilot Before The Other Spinoffs Were Cancelled. What’s Happening Now

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We’ve just passed the midway part of March, and yet, apparently, we are already at the time of the 2025 TV schedule when beloved shows can but ruthlessly cut for seemingly no reason. Though many fans have spent their Tuesday nights watching wall-to-wall FBI adventures on CBS for years, that programming block has now been torn asunder, as word came down recently that FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted are both canceled and will end this May. The upcoming spinoff, FBI: CIA (don’t worry, we’ll talk about that title later) had been prepping for a back door pilot before the cancelations came down but we have an update on what’s happening now.

What’s Going On With FBI: CIA Now That International And Most Wanted Are Canceled?

It was in late January that word came down that the expansive Dick Wolf TV universe (which is spread out across two networks and nine shows for the time being), was working on yet another spinoff in FBI: CIA. That proposed new drama was originally supposed to launch as a back door pilot on the action movie-like flagship series, FBI (which is in the midst of the three-season renewal it was awarded in 2024), this spring. But, Deadline is now reporting that viewers could still see the procedural hit the upcoming 2025/2026 television schedule if it’s granted a straight-to-series order.

For those who aren’t aware, a back door pilot is just an episode of an already popular TV series that gives most of its time over to establishing new characters and storylines for a proposed spinoff. It might be one of the longest-standing traditions in the television business, and for good reason: it tends to work. But, with the plan now changing for FBI: CIA (a title that will be changed, according to the outlet), that hardly means the death knell of the show.

Apparently, the change is mostly due to producers not having the lead cast members set just yet. It’s said that FBI Season 7, Episode 19 was going to host those new cast and their characters for the back door pilot. However, that special episode was pushed back twice, until it was decided simply not to force it, seeing as how they couldn’t solidify any casting choices.

When shows like “Most Wanted” and “International” were taken off the air, it was suggested that the series “CIA” might bypass traditional broadcasting and go directly to streaming instead. It’s speculated that this could still occur if the right cast is secured promptly.

Whether we see the new show go to series with or without a back door pilot (or not air at all, which is always a possibility), it’s being written by Wolf and spearheaded by some frequent contributors to his far-ranging franchises. It will focus on the tale of a “street-smart” CIA agent and a “strait-laced” FBI agent who work for a covert task force that investigates domestic terrorism in and around New York City. While fans of International and Most Wanted are deeply unhappy about FBI: CIA in the face of two of their favorites being axed, time will tell if Wolf has hit paydirt yet again.

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2025-03-18 21:28