A high-profile CBS show has paused production following its latest exit.
Variety reports that Warren Leight is stepping down as showrunner on the new FBI offshoot, CIA.
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Leight, known for his work on Law & Order: SVU, took over for David Hudgins in July after he stepped down as showrunner and executive producer. After Leight was brought on, CBS opted to move CIA from fall 2025 to midseason 2026 so the show could transition under a new showrunner. Sources tell the outlet that FBI showrunner and EP Mike Weiss is in talks to take over on CIA while also continuing his duties on the Mothership.
Production is being temporarily halted to accommodate the showrunner transition. However, it is not anticipated to affect the premiere date, which has not officially been set at the network but is still aimed for midseason. As of now, it’s unknown why Leight decided to depart, but he is the latest one to do so.
His exit comes days after Michael Michele, who was set to lead alongside Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss, departed, as well as executive producer Eriq La Salle. Filming for CIA began in September, and La Salle directed and served as EP for the pilot episode. It can be assumed that a new showrunner will be named in the following days, but nothing has been confirmed.
Even though it has not yet premiered, CIA has had a rocky start, and not just with the recent exits. The show, which was announced to be in development earlier this year, was set to kick off with a backdoor pilot during FBI’s seventh season. Issues with casting made it difficult to move forward, and production was beginning to wrap on the season. CBS decided to forgo the backdoor pilot and still keep the series in contention for the 2025-26 season, despite cancelling spinoffs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. CIA was officially given a series order in April.
Per CBS, CIA follows “a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (Ellis), and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent (Gehlfuss) 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.”
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