CBS Boss Justifies Canceling FBI: International & Most Wanted While Also Launching A CIA Spinoff

CBS boss Amy Reisenbach has defended the network’s decision to cancel spinoffs FBI: International, and FBI: Most Wanted, whilst launching a CIA spinoff series. Most Wanted has run six seasons since its debut in January 2020, whilst International will end after four seasons, after its September 2021 premiere. The controversial cancelation comes after the shows had a small viewership drop, but both averaged around a solid 6.5 million viewers, and have ranked eighth out of CBS’s 14 aired dramas this year, outdrawing shows like The Equalizer and Fire Country.

Per TV Line, Most Wanted and International have both been canceled ahead of the 2025-26 season, following a 9% dip in ratings. Reisenbach justified the decision, despite CBS greenlight an FBI offshoot show, starring Lucifer‘s Tom Ellis, and tentatively titled CIA. She revealed that CBS has enjoyed its working relationship with (FBI franchise creator) Dick Wolf, but claimed that keeping the FBI spinoffs did not make sense from an economic perspective. She highlighted the need to be fiscally responsible, and compared the move to the recent cancellation of The Equalizer. Check out Reisenbach’s comments below:

“Obviously we love working with Dick [Wolf] and we’re so excited to be bringing [the new FBI franchise expansion] CIA onto the schedule. But going back to what we just said [about The Equalizer‘s cancellation], we have to be fiscally responsible, and ultimately those deals and the shows just weren’t penciling out for us for an economic perspective.”

What This Means For The Future Of FBI

CIA Could Take The Franchise In A Fresh Direction

Reisenbach’s comments are interesting, because there appears to be a degree of contradiction to them. On the one hand, she claims that FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted were canceled because they didn’t make economical sense, yet shows like Fire Country season 4 received a renewal. It could be that CBS feels the FBI spinoffs have run their course, or it may be that budgets had become bloated, and there was a need to cut costs. It’s also possible they simply wanted to reset the franchise, and take it in a new direction, and this felt like the best way to achieve that.

While the original FBI show appears to still be going strong, its two spinoffs have now been canceled, leaving the franchise back down to just one show. However, CIA looks set to provide an exciting and fresh take on the franchise, and could help to bring more viewers to the FBI franchise. The show, originally titled FBI: CIA, will reportedly be set in New York, and focus on domestic terrorism, and was originally expected to have a now-canceled backdoor pilot during FBI season 7. But the show has instead had a straight-to-series pickup, and is set to air during the 2025-26 television season.

Our Take On CIA’s Chances Of Success

This Could Be A New Lease Of Life For The Franchise

The long-running success of shows like NCIS and Law & Order illustrates that there is still an audience appetite for procedurals, and in that regard, hopes should be high for CIA, particularly with a strong lead in Ellis. The show will look to enhance the FBI franchise, and explore fresh, new and exciting plot lines and narrative arcs, which is important for long-term success, and loyal viewership. CBS will be keen for CIA to have early ratings success, and the show could shape the future of the FBI franchise if it is a success.