‘CIA’ Star Natalee Linez Previews ‘FBI’ Offshoot as a ‘Fun Roller Coaster of a Journey’ for Viewers (Exclusive)

FBI’s newest offshoot, CIA, premieres in a matter of weeks, and star Natalee Linez told PopCulture.com what’s in store.

CIA premieres on Monday, Feb. 23 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, following the midseason premiere of FBI.

In CIA, “When by-the-book FBI Special Agent Bill Goodman (Nick Gehlfuss) is loaned out to a clandestine CIA/FBI task force, he finds himself teamed up with secretive and roguish CIA Agent Colin Glass (Tom Ellis). Together they will work covert operations in New York, uncovering international plots, terrorist cells, and geopolitical secrets. On CIA, Bill will learn the rules of this murky world on the fly as Colin leads him deeper into spy games where only one thing is clear – their work keeps America safe, even if no one will ever know what they did in the shadows.”

Linez portrays CIA analyst Gina Gosian, with the cast also including Necar Zadegan as Deputy Chief of Station Nikki Reynard. CIA is the fourth series in the FBI franchise and first one to put the focus on the CIA, rather than the FBI, hence the title. Linez spoke all about the new series and what’s coming up, so take a look at what she had to say. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

PopCulture: What can you tell me about CIA?

Natalee Linez: Oh my gosh. It’s a new hit show on CBS. It’s Dick Wolf’s latest show. It is a show that takes place in New York. We like to call New York another character in this show because there’s so many cool areas that you’re gonna see that maybe people haven’t ever seen before, which I think is super fun. But it is a show about a fusion cell between a CIA officer and an FBI agent that come together and might have differing opinions, different views, but they have to come together and do what’s best for the overall goal, which is protecting our country.

So you really see a lot of fun dynamics, and I think that people are gonna love rooting for both characters, but sometimes maybe picking sides in different episodes because they have such differing opinions on a certain operation that they’re on. And then my character is Gina Gosian, who is an incredible CIA analyst. She’s mostly in the SCIF right now under Nikki, and her job is to gather and synthesize as much information as possible to help the team with any threats that might hit the doorstep.

PC: What is it like portraying a CIA analyst?

Linez: Funny enough, I actually have a very analytical mind. I’m logistical, extremely left-brained. So I’m really enjoying the research, literally, that I’m doing, Natalee, for my character and for the CIA. But also, that’s all she does is research and gathering information. And I think she’s so good at it. You know, when you’re good at something, you enjoy doing that thing? She really enjoys figuring out a puzzle, figuring out what’s missing here, what intel are we missing that could really help this op that’s happening right now.

And then I think that she really hopes that she can anticipate what that information is before other people. Maybe anticipate the needs of my bosses, Nikki or Colin, who’s on the field, and be like, “Hey. I found this out. Here’s the information that we need.” And I think that’s kinda what she lives for and loves.

PC: With the show just starting out, what has it been like exploring these new dynamics between not only the characters, but between your co-stars off-screen?

Linez: Oh my gosh. It’s so much fun. Imagine working with Nick and Tom, first of all, and Necar. They’ve all been on shows for decades long. So I feel like I have this front row seat of… number one, they’re so talented. So, just getting all the vibes from them. I’m like, “Oh my god. This is amazing to be in scenes with you guys.” But off-screen, I’m just asking questions. I’m a very curious person. I love getting better, and I know that I’m kind of the youngest.

I haven’t been on an eight-season show before. They’re just kind and giving with their knowledge, I guess, and expertise. So, it’s like a really warm cast. We’re all big hug givers, and I think the chemistry between us all is really great, and it gets better and better every episode. We’ve only shot so many episodes, so we’re all kind of getting the groove, but it’s been wonderful so far.

And then, as far as on-screen, you guys are gonna see so many fun dynamics. You have Bill and Colin, which is the main dynamic of the show, but then you have all these other incredible stories with Nikki and Gina, that sort of mentor-mentee dynamic, and then there’s some really fun scenes with Colin and Gina being coworkers and agreeing on most things, but maybe there’s a couple of things they disagree on. So, it’s been so fun to play.

PC: What have you loved most about being on the show so far?

Linez: I think it’s really exciting that the thing with Gina is she’s an analyst. And she really wants to be on the field. So I think it’s gonna be really cool to play her journey, almost from the beginning, versus her being the director already or something. And I get to play it, and viewers get to watch it, her journey from being at the desk to hopefully getting on the field.

But earning that, you’re gonna see her really kind of asking for opportunities to go out onto the field, and maybe then get denied. And so I think that once she gets the green light and she is able to be more part of operations, or she gets to go out on the field, that we’re all gonna be excited about it, the viewer, Gina. So I’m really excited about that aspect. I have a podcast called Ground Up, and I feel like we’re really gonna see Gina’s ground-up story of analyst all the way through.

PC: Going off that, what has it been like being able to explore her and really learn more about her every week?

Linez: There’s always something to learn because I’m learning about Gina. I’m learning also about the CIA in general, which is something that Natalee only knew a little bit about. So every single morning, part of my morning routine is at least an hour dedicated to… I used to read for an hour every morning. Now my hour is research. So I’m always looking something up, reading about the CIA, reading books about people who have been in the CIA, listening to podcasts about the CIA, just to really get comfy in who Gina is. I love hearing other analysts put a muse in stories, and then I’m able to create a backstory based on that or create little habits in the office based on that.

PC: What are you most excited for fans to see with CIA?

Linez: So, for my journey personally, we’ve only shot a handful of episodes, and there’s so much that I’m still learning week by week as every episode comes out about Gina. But I’m excited for them to see my character’s progression. And again, the day that she is able to get out of the office and spread her wings. And, I’m excited for them to see how smart she is when it comes to some things missing, and we’re missing a piece of intel that really helped shape this together, and then she thinks of a way to find that.

But overall, I’m just really excited for them to see the different dynamics and to be rooting for at the end of every episode, you’re gonna be rooting for everyone. But throughout, you might be kind of mad at this guy and screaming at the TV about that guy. And so I think it’s just gonna be a fun roller coaster of a journey for the viewer.

PC: Is there anything else you can tease about the show?

Linez: Nothing is as it seems. That is all I’ll say.

CIA premieres on Monday, Feb. 23 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.