TheFBIuniverse is set to grow in 2025, and while another spinoff is exciting on the surface, one can’t help but worry about it when remembering the fate ofOne Chicago’s fourth show.CBS' police procedural franchise kicked off in September 2018 with the premiere ofFBI,created by Dick Wolf and Craig Turk. As its name implies, the series follows a group of FBI agents working in New York City. Given its success with critics and ratings, CBS ordered a spinoff —FBI: Most Wanted, which premiered in January 2020 after its backdoor pilot inFBIin April 2019.
New episodes ofFBIpremiere on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET on CBS, whileFBI: Internationalairs directly afterward at 9 pm ET andFBI: Most Wantedfollows at 10 pm ET.
FBI: Most Wantedrevolves around the FBI’s New York Fugitive Task Force (FTF), which tracks the country’s most dangerous criminals who find themselves on the bureau’s Most Wanted list. The first spinoff was also successful, meaningCBS greenlit a second spinoff —FBI: International. Although the third series in the franchise didn’t get a backdoor pilot, its first episode (which aired in September 2021) concluded a crossover that began in theFBIseason 4 premiere and continued in theFBI: Most Wantedseason 3 premiere. Now, four years later,CBS is ready to add another show to theFBIfranchise.
FBI Is Launching A New Spinoff — FBI CIA
The New Spinoff’s Backdoor Pilot Will Air In The Spring
PerTVLine, anewFBIspinoff is in development at CBScalledFBI: CIA. The fourth TV show in theFBIuniverse will chronicle the complicated relationship between a “dedicated, strait-laced” FBI special agent and a “street-smart” CIA agent. They team up in the spinoff due tothe creation of a covert task force that focuses on domestic terrorism casesin and around New York City. Unfortunately, more details about the two characters have yet to be revealed.
Chicago PD Showrunner Considers Potential FBI Crossovers With Jesse Lee Soffer In His New Role
EXCLUSIVE: Chicago P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan candidly talks about an FBI: International crossover with Jesse Lee Soffer’s new character.
CBS is in the process of casting threeFBI: CIAseries regulars as of the writing of this article. It’s assumed that two of them will play the aforementioned FBI and CIA agents, while the third role is unknown. Thankfully, fans will know more come the spring of 2025 when CBS airsFBI: CIA’s backdoor pilot in anepisode ofFBIseason 7. If the network orders the spinoff to series,FBI: CIA’s first season will air during the 2025–2026 TV season.
Wolf Entertainment’s Last 4th Franchise Spinoff Was One Chicago’s Failed Chicago Justice
Chicago Justice Was Canceled After 1 Season
Of course, theFBIfranchise adding a fourth show to its repertoire is thrilling for many fans. However, considering what happened whentheOne Chicagouniverse(also produced by Wolf Entertainment) grew with a fourth series, the upcoming spinoff’s fate (and how it will affectFBIas a whole) is quite worrisome.NBC has experienced much success with theOne Chicagoshows—Chicago Fire,Chicago PD, andChicago Med. Consequently, the network greenlit a fourth series,Chicago Justice, but it epically failed.
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Chicago Justicecentered around the State’s Attorney team of prosecutors and investigators in Chicago. Its backdoor pilot took place inChicago PDseason 3 in May 2016 before its pilot premiered in March 2017. Unfortunately,Chicago Justicehad a short run. It only released 13 episodes beforeNBC canceled the series due to low ratings,lack of sustainability, and the need for more space in the network’s lineup for other shows.
Jon Seda, who played Antonio Dawson, was a series regular inOne Chicago’s first spinoff but transferred toChicago Justicewhen his character joined the State’s Attorney’s office.
In addition to ending the series,Chicago Justice’s cancelation affectedChicago PD.Jon Seda, who played Antonio Dawson, was a series regular inOne Chicago’s first spinoff but transferred toChicago Justicewhen his character joined the State’s Attorney’s office. After the series' cancelation,Chicago PDtried reintegrating Antonio into the Intelligence Unit. But, the execution was clunky, andAntonio ultimately exitedChicago PDafter season 6.
How FBI CIA Can Prevent Running Into The Same Issues That Chicago Justice Did
The Spinoff Must Learn From Its Predecessors
TheFBIfranchisehas to learn fromOne Chicago’s mistakes concerning a fourth series. It would be for the best if no existing characters in the universe joined the cast ofFBI: CIA, so as not to significantly interfere with the other shows. Additionally,the spinoff has to have a similar tone to the otherFBIseries.
The difficulty lies in finding the perfect balance between new and familiar for the newFBIspinoff.
Chicago Justicewas too different fromChicago Fire,Chicago PD, andChicago Med, and contained dull stories, meaning it wasn’t appealing to the franchise’s established audience.FBI: CIAmust also bring something new and intriguing to the table.The difficulty lies in finding the perfect balance between new and familiar for the newFBIspinoff.
