New crime thriller series from the Chicago P.D. creator gets the go-ahead at CBS

If you thought US network telly was content to wait out the future one year at a time, CBS is here to crush that assumption. They’re already eyeing up scripted dramas for the 2027-28 season — yes, you read that right — and now there's a new one on the radar, tucked under the working title Strike Force. This is shaping up as a bit of a homecoming for those invested in network procedurals, or more specifically, fans who’ve had a Jesse Lee Soffer-shaped hole in their viewing schedule since his last gig evaporated.

Four separate drama projects have already been shortlisted by CBS for possible pickup in the 2027–28 cycle.

Reunions and New Frontiers

What we've got here is a proper reunion, not just a casual wave across a studio lot. Jesse Lee Soffer is back teaming with Matt Olmstead — the very writer who conjured up Jay Halstead, the role that made Soffer a household name amongst network drama enthusiasts. Both have roots going deep in the Dick Wolf procedural empire (think Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and so on), but now they're stepping away from the Windy City and its endless parade of crime scenes. Instead, CBS is putting its chips on Kansas City as the new battleground. If you thought they'd run out of American cities to dramatise, apparently not.

According to Variety, CBS has given Strike Force a development room. Here’s the bullet-point pitch: Soffer will play a DEA agent who's seen it all, finally coming home to Kansas City only to find himself leading a inter-agency task force that chases the sort of criminals who reckon the Midwest is easy pickings. Olmstead is writing and executive producing, with Soffer also wearing the exec producer hat — so it’s not just his face on the poster, he’s got skin in the game creatively too.

Behind the Scenes: The Usual Suspects

Backing them are heavy-hitters Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed, both executive producing under the Jerry Bruckheimer Television banner. CBS Studios is handling production, which is no surprise given Bruckheimer’s history with the network — if you’ve seen any CSI, or current Friday night offerings like Fire Country, you’ve brushed up against his work. For a quick sense of scale, the Bruckheimer F1 biopic pulled in $631 million worldwide last year, so the man still has clout.

• Soffer and Olmstead previously teamed on Chicago P.D. (Soffer as Jay Halstead), which Soffer left in 2022 after nine-plus seasons. He then headlined FBI: International for its fourth season, which CBS dropped in March 2025.
• Olmstead co-created and ran several Dick Wolf dramas, including Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Chicago Justice (short-lived, blink and you missed it), and helped kick things off for Law & Order: Organized Crime. He’s done time on NYPD Blue, Prison Break, and Breakout Kings too. Basically, if it’s procedural and aired on US network TV in the past 25 years, he’s probably touched it.

It’s worth noting that despite this stellar reunion, Strike Force is only at the development room stage. No greenlight yet — CBS won’t commit further unless the scripts stack up.

Kansas City’s Turn

If you’re keeping score, Kansas City has had scant attention as a setting for this sort of network drama. Maybe that changes if Strike Force survives the script gauntlet and makes it all the way through to air in two years’ time. For now, procedural fans will have to sit tight a bit longer, but CBS clearly plans to keep their franchises stocked deep into the next cycle.