‘CIA’ Season 2 Release Date, Plot, Cast and Trailer as Colin and Bill Are Walking Into a Very Messy Return
Dick Wolf’s newest spinoff is coming back with a bigger order and a prime fall slot. ‘CIA’ was renewed just five episodes into its first run and is returning this fall as part of the network’s new lineup. After a debut that pulled strong numbers, the show now gets the kind of full runway that most freshman dramas only dream about.
For anyone wondering where the ‘FBI’ franchise goes next, the second season of ‘CIA’ looks like the answer. The odd couple dynamic between a rule following federal agent and a roguish spy is back in action, and the story is carrying real emotional baggage from the finale. Here is everything we know about the return.
‘CIA’ Second Season Release Date and Where to Watch
The new season premieres on Monday, October 5, at 9 PM ET/PT on CBS. The series debuted in midseason but is now moving to the fall and will keep airing after ‘FBI,’ which is heading into its ninth season.
The show is planned to run 22 episodes airing weekly, a major jump from the 12 episodes of the first season. That means a fall to spring run, which gives the writers far more room to stretch out the personal storylines.
Episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. The network had good reason to extend the order. The series premiere was watched by 8.4 million multiplatform viewers within seven days, and CBS renewed the show on March 23.
The Returning ‘CIA’ Cast and Who Else Pops Up
The central duo is intact. Tom Ellis stars as CIA agent Colin Glass and Nick Gehlfuss plays FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman, while Necar Zadegan is Deputy Chief of Station Nikki Reynard and Natalee Linez plays analyst Gina Gosian.
The biggest question mark involves Colin’s former partner. Hopes are high that Angela Sarafyan will return as Toni Napier, although there was no confirmation of an appearance when that cast rundown was published. Showrunner Mike Weiss has already hinted at where her story is headed, which we will get to below.
Familiar faces are also crossing over from the parent series. John Boyd will reprise his ‘FBI’ role as fast talking Special Agent Stuart Scola in the premiere, joining the team on a shocking operation. Guest stars in the premiere photos include Charles Baker as Keith Truman and Brian Letscher as Gary Martin.
What the ‘CIA’ Plot Has in Store for Colin and Bill
The premiere is titled “The Deep” and it opens with a body count. When a known cartel fixer arrives in New York, the team tracks him down and finds the body of a DEA agent, and it soon becomes clear the case is not what it seems. The episode was written by Mike Weiss and directed by Ken Girotti.
The case is only half the story. Bill makes a shocking discovery when he returns to work after the death of his father, which is why the team leans on Scola for help. That sets up a longer arc for the season’s biggest emotional thread.
Speaking to Give Me My Remote, Weiss said the show will tell a huge mystery about Bill’s father, a revered army veteran and plain dealing honest broker who turns out to be far more complicated than Bill ever realized.
Colin has his own headache. The first season revealed that his former partner Toni is alive but worked as a dirty agent, and she is going to try her best to reconcile with him. Considering how rattled Colin was by her supposed death, forgiveness will not come easily.
The Official Trailer and the ‘FBI’ Crossover
CBS has already shown off what is coming. An official trailer arrived ahead of the October return during CBS Premiere Week, teasing new danger, twists and covert action for Colin and Bill. The footage leans into the tension at the heart of the show, which is two agencies with very different rulebooks sharing one task force.
The trailer also underlines the franchise synergy. Boyd’s Scola appears in the ‘CIA’ premiere while Necar Zadegan’s Nikki Reynard turns up in the ‘FBI’ season nine premiere titled “Rendition.” A two way crossover on opening night is a smart way to funnel loyal ‘FBI’ viewers straight into the spinoff.
That premise has not changed. Bill is a by the book agent loaned to a clandestine task force where he is teamed with Colin, and together they work covert operations in New York involving international plots, terrorist cells and geopolitical secrets. The real hook is whether Bill’s family mystery will finally push him to bend the rules the way Colin always does, so does the straight arrow of this franchise deserve to break bad a little this season?
