There’s been a shake-up on CBS’ upcoming FBI universe expansion, CIA. Michael Michele, who was announced as one of the series’ leads, has exited the project just weeks into production, sources tell Deadline.
The procedural — led by Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss — began filming in September and is expected to premiere midseason. While there’s chatter that Michele’s role may be recast, nothing has been confirmed, and the series is still moving forward as production continues.
Michele was set to portray the head of the CIA’s New York Station, supervising the show’s central duo: a bold, rule-breaking CIA officer (Ellis) and a sharp, by-the-book FBI agent (Gehlfuss) forced to work together on domestic threats. Their dynamic serves as the core of the new drama — an odd-couple partnership testing boundaries between two powerful agencies.
This marks the second notable creative change for CIA since its straight-to-series pickup in April. The show originally targeted a fall 2025 launch before undergoing a summer showrunner swap, with Law & Order: SVU veteran Warren Leight stepping in for David Hudgins.
Michele’s departure pauses her latest chapter in the Dick Wolf television universe. The actress made one of her earliest screen appearances on Wolf’s New York Undercover and recently recurred on CBS’ hit The Equalizer opposite Queen Latifah.
CIA expands the ever-growing FBI universe, which continues to anchor CBS’ lineup. The flagship series is currently in its eighth season, even as FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International wrapped in 2025.
Michele’s exit leaves an open spot in the ensemble as fans await casting updates — and a first look at the newest branch of the FBI world when CIA arrives later in the 2026 season.