Michael Michele is returning to the Dick Wolf universe. The New York Undercover alum has been tapped to star in CBS’ new spinoff CIA, joining Chicago Med’s Nick Gehlfuss and previously announced star Tom Ellis.
The new series expands the FBI franchise with a story centered on two unlikely partners — Ellis plays Hart Hoxton, a fast-talking, rule-breaking CIA case officer, while Gehlfuss is set as a seasoned, by-the-book FBI agent. When they’re assigned to work out of the CIA’s New York Station, they must learn to set aside their differences in order to track criminals threatening U.S. soil.
Michele will portray the head of the CIA’s New York Station, making her the third lead in the series. The actress most recently starred as Dominique Deveraux in Dynasty and has appeared in Queen Sugar, Star, ER, and Homicide: Life on the Street.
Originally planned for a fall 2025 debut, CIA was pushed to midseason 2026 following a showrunner change. Warren Leight (Law & Order: SVU) stepped in to replace FBI: Most Wanted’s David Hudgins, who co-wrote the pilot with Wolf. Eriq La Salle is directing and executive producing the pilot episode.
The series hails from Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios, with Dick Wolf, Leight, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen, and Peter Jankowski on board as executive producers.