Follows two unlikely partners - a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law. When this odd couple are assigned to work out of CIA's New York Station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.
Most recent episode (s01e06) felt like the writers flipped who's character was the voice of reason and who was the renegade. Suddenly the CIA agent is the optimist FBI agent GoodMan is the cynic. I get that it kinda makes sense because its CIA's informant and therefore CIA needs to be supporting his informant - but it felt flipped.
Oh - ya know what - It really felt like actor Nick Gehlfuss was being his renegade character from Chicago Med. Personally I never liked that about that character or that era of Chicago Med, where doctors were going rogue. And that's exactly how he feels here. Maybe the actor really doesn't have the range to do much else; like he's really only got one delivery style.
It was nice to see some other actor cross over in both directions of FBI <-> CIA.
@SgtSaint
You made a few points I noticed myself and, yeah, I'm out.
by SgtSaint posted 5 months ago
s01e02 - (As i watch it)
Bill Goodman character feels exactly like Dr. Holstead during his "renegade doctor" phase on Chicago Med. Same delivery of lines etc. Which isn't a bad thing per sae: John Wayne was famous but every character was exactly the same whether it was a cowboy, soldier or detective. Just shows the actor does a type but not a lot of range. Probably good so long as he doesn't stray.
Boss lady made a pretty huge leap in logic going from Catch one bad guy, to "dismantle their entire network"
Decent prosthetic work sewing up the wound
I agree with @WilliamDrakeMcGregor about both lead character feeling like a good match, not opposites. They are less oil/water than we saw in Lethal Weapon that's for sure.
Boss lady did a decent job of playing shy. First time I've seen that actress do a meek scene. How did they not see it was the water that was spiked when she didn't drink it. So much for trained agents.
Most of the plot points were equally predictable as the other shows of this genre: Not worse, not better.
I'm never a fan of magic tech but way too many shows do it (See SWAT)
Another generic gripe that this show falls into like 20 others regardless of genre, everyone acts like nobody has cameras these days. Just wander around houses snooping... wander around the bad guy's lair and back offices... like nobody heard about so much as a nanny cam.
At least they look around when in unfamiliar buidlings. It always annoys me when agents know exactly where to go in a building they've never been in before The renegade cowboy unpredictable agent is the one that gets the calm negotiator, connect with the bad guy on a deep human level speech? - Whisky Tango Foxtrot? Catching one mid-level bad guy gets them 3 cells? The very nature of *cells* is to stop that sort of thing. That's the whole point of a single 'handler'.
Feels like most of the other shows in this genre. Ya have to suspend reality when watching TV. Other than "The Pitt" the medical shows are wrong... Police shows... Whatever.
Well... Not every sci-fi can be "The Expanse" and not every espinage show can be "The Night Agent" or the Bourne franchise.
by WilliamDrakeMcGregor posted 5 months ago
Second Episode didn't change my mind...this show is not for me.
What exactly makes this show "CIA" ? - This feels more like special division of the FBI or something.
I actually think the only reason they pretend to be a CIA operation is to make it look like they have less resources available on U.S. soil - no big investigation, CSI oder SWAT teams...just a small group of blah, blah, blah.
Tom Ellis character is supposed to be a "loose cannon" but comes across more boring than Nick Gehlfuss character. They somehow managed to make these two characters almost exactly the same...doesn't really work well.
by g371 posted 5 months ago
A nice touch to bring up Havana Syndrome in the first episode to trigger PTSD for real CIA. The rest solid 3/10, a multi layered cringe.
by TeaAndApathy posted 5 months ago
It was...OK. I saw the name Dick Wolf. I believe he does the Chicago Med/Fire series. At the end, it was clear this will follow a common trope, i.e. a further mystery threading thru the season or series. My main gripe is that so much seemed fake and unbelievable. I'll give it another episode. Then we'll see. I expected Tom Ellis to play another version of Lucifer. It was nice he didn't.
by Phenjamin posted 5 months ago
I agree. I thought it was just OK. First episodes can be tough to get everything set up and still tell a good story.
Since it was the first episode, it was good enough for me to give it one more episode to see if it gets better.
Here's hoping.
by Wizard posted 5 months ago
It wasn't the best first episode ever, but it it as OK.
As WilliamDrakeMcGregor said, I'll give it one more episode.
Follow
Oh - ya know what - It really felt like actor Nick Gehlfuss was being his renegade character from Chicago Med. Personally I never liked that about that character or that era of Chicago Med, where doctors were going rogue. And that's exactly how he feels here. Maybe the actor really doesn't have the range to do much else; like he's really only got one delivery style.
It was nice to see some other actor cross over in both directions of FBI <-> CIA.
https://deadline.com/2026/03/cia-renewed-season-2-cbs-1236762981/
You made a few points I noticed myself and, yeah, I'm out.
Bill Goodman character feels exactly like Dr. Holstead during his "renegade doctor" phase on Chicago Med. Same delivery of lines etc. Which isn't a bad thing per sae: John Wayne was famous but every character was exactly the same whether it was a cowboy, soldier or detective. Just shows the actor does a type but not a lot of range. Probably good so long as he doesn't stray.
Boss lady made a pretty huge leap in logic going from Catch one bad guy, to "dismantle their entire network"
Decent prosthetic work sewing up the wound
I agree with @WilliamDrakeMcGregor about both lead character feeling like a good match, not opposites. They are less oil/water than we saw in Lethal Weapon that's for sure.
Boss lady did a decent job of playing shy. First time I've seen that actress do a meek scene.
How did they not see it was the water that was spiked when she didn't drink it. So much for trained agents.
Most of the plot points were equally predictable as the other shows of this genre: Not worse, not better.
I'm never a fan of magic tech but way too many shows do it (See SWAT)
Another generic gripe that this show falls into like 20 others regardless of genre, everyone acts like nobody has cameras these days. Just wander around houses snooping... wander around the bad guy's lair and back offices... like nobody heard about so much as a nanny cam.
At least they look around when in unfamiliar buidlings. It always annoys me when agents know exactly where to go in a building they've never been in before
The renegade cowboy unpredictable agent is the one that gets the calm negotiator, connect with the bad guy on a deep human level speech? - Whisky Tango Foxtrot?
Catching one mid-level bad guy gets them 3 cells? The very nature of *cells* is to stop that sort of thing. That's the whole point of a single 'handler'.
Feels like most of the other shows in this genre. Ya have to suspend reality when watching TV. Other than "The Pitt" the medical shows are wrong... Police shows... Whatever.
Well... Not every sci-fi can be "The Expanse" and not every espinage show can be "The Night Agent" or the Bourne franchise.
What exactly makes this show "CIA" ? - This feels more like special division of the FBI or something.
I actually think the only reason they pretend to be a CIA operation is to make it look like they have less resources available on U.S. soil - no big investigation, CSI oder SWAT teams...just a small group of blah, blah, blah.
Tom Ellis character is supposed to be a "loose cannon" but comes across more boring than Nick Gehlfuss character. They somehow managed to make these two characters almost exactly the same...doesn't really work well.
Since it was the first episode, it was good enough for me to give it one more episode to see if it gets better.
Here's hoping.
As WilliamDrakeMcGregor said, I'll give it one more episode.