CBS Wastes No Time: CIA Scores Swift Season 2 Renewal

So, CIA—yes, that's really the title—had about as chaotic a journey to the screen as you can squeeze into six months. If you've caught a promo, you might think it's just another crime procedural, but behind the scenes, this CBS series was basically a live-action version of 'how not to launch a TV show.' Despite all that, it actually debuted to a huge audience, and CBS isn’t about to let that slip through their fingers.

A Rocky (and Honestly, Messy) Road to Premiere Night

First, the show coughed up both its pilot director and its executive producer back in November, which is pretty late in the game to start replacing top brass. They also had to recast a main character, so, not exactly running smoothly. Then, just days after those exits, showrunner Warren Leight left—making him the second showrunner the series had cycled through before even airing a single episode. By December, production had been paused so long, you’d be forgiven for betting the plug would get pulled.

But CBS found a lifeline: Necar Zadegan stepped in to play Nikki Reynard, the CIA station chief. Then they brought in Mike Weiss—the same guy who ran FBI and knows his way around a Dick Wolf universe. Things finally started to click, at least long enough to get it on the schedule as a midseason replacement.

Big Ratings, Despite the Drama

Here’s where things got kind of surprising: Viewers actually showed up. 8.4 million tuned in for the premiere once you count streaming and on-demand. Episode two stayed strong at 7.6 million. Both more than doubled their live, same-day TV audience once all the delayed watching was added in. People may complain about the rise of streaming, but network procedurals are still a machine.

With numbers like this, CBS wasted zero time renewing CIA for a second season. In classic network TV style, if something works, you don’t overthink it.

The Cast: The Odd Couple, Federal Style

If you’re familiar with Dick Wolf’s brand—think Law & Order or any of the Chicago shows—you pretty much know the drill. Wolf created CIA, and he sticks to the formula that’s now won him enough Emmy Awards to make anyone else in network TV jealous.

• Tom Ellis (you probably know him as 'Lucifer') plays Colin Glass, the CIA case officer who tends to ignore the rulebook whenever possible.
• Nick Gehlfuss (Chicago Med) is Bill Goodman, an FBI agent who actually believes in rules, training, and presumably paperwork.
• The two are forced to work together in a CIA/FBI joint task force, and yes, the main dynamic is exactly what you think: banter, bickering, and cracking cases.

Critics Kind of Shrug (& So Should You)

The reviews were—let’s say—politely unimpressed. The show has a 63% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, which basically means people aren’t racing to hate-watch it, but they’re not exactly singing its praises either.

The Los Angeles Times called it 'conservative entertainment' that doesn't mess with the timeworn idea of pairing up two wildly different personalities. Variety called the whole thing 'average,' and The Wrap went for the jugular, criticizing the writing as so by-the-numbers you can see every punchline and plot twist coming from the next borough.

But here’s the twist: that hasn’t scared off the audience. CIA is holding ground right alongside FBI, which has been doing its thing for eight seasons. So, whatever the critics say, as long as people keep tuning in, we’ll probably keep getting more Glass-and-Goodman odd couple adventures.