Tom Ellis Previews Latest FBI Offshoot, His CIA Agent's ‘Large Dose of Moral Ambiguity' — Watch Video
Tom Ellis' character in CBS' CIA sounds like a bit of a devil.
CBS' upcoming 'expansion' of the FBI universe (airing Mondays at 10/9c this fall) is centered on two unlikely partners — a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (played by Lucifer vet Ellis), and a yet-to-be-cast by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law.
More from TVLine
Patti LuPone Skips Tony Awards Amid Audra McDonald Controversy - Watch Oprah Winfrey Joke About It On-Air
Tonys 2025: Hamilton's Original Broadway Cast Reunites for Sleek Medley - Watch
Matlock Season 2: Is Matty's Marriage in Trouble? EP Previews 'Negotiations' Ahead
'When this odd couple is assigned to work out of CIA's New York Station,' the official synopsis reads, '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.'
Speaking with TVLine at CBS' recent Upfront event, Ellis said that CIA will take its cue from 'the format set up on FBI' and 'explore the notion of why these agencies don't normally work together' — despite the fact that the events of 9/11 suggested that the Agency and Bureau should share more information.
Ellis says that the unlikely partnership proves to be 'productive but also very difficult, because they have very different philosophies on how to achieve goals.'
When we first meet Ellis' CIA agent, the British actor reveals, he is 'stuck in the 'boring' end of the job, on home soil in New York,' and thus perhaps is open to any set-up that gets him more action.
All told, though, 'he is someone who has to use guile and deceit and lies to get what he wants,' Ellis shares. 'There's large dose of moral ambiguity that comes with him.'
CIA is executive-produced by showrunner David Hudgins, FBI franchise overlord Dick Wolf, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen and Peter Jankowski. Eriq La Salle will direct and exec-produce the first episode.
An exact premiere date has not yet been set, but CIA will air Mondays at 10 pm, leading out of the FBI mothership.
Want scoop on , or for any other TV show? Shoot an email to InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line!
Fall TV Grid 2025: What's on When? And Versus What?
View List
Best of TVLine
Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa'
Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death
Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Cupps, Gary Dugger perform in tornado-affected community
Residents of Finley Trailer Park gathered last Wednesday evening for a musical performance aimed at bringing the community together after the May 16 tornado. A flatbed trailer was transformed into a stage for a special performance by The Cupps, a Christian-based band from Williamsburg, and local singer Gary Dugger. The gathering was partially organized by Monroe Murphy, a resident of the trailer park who wanted to do something in response to the devastation that struck the area. YouTube personality John Ward of La Follette, Tennessee, also played a role in making the event happen. Ward, known for his channel The Appalachian Channel with John Ward, helped facilitate the visit and documented the event for his audience. The event brought community members together to uplift one another as the area begins recovery efforts following the EF-4 tornado that left behind major structural damage in the park. Murphy was among those who had damages to his home. Recounting his experience, Murphy said that at about 11:45 p.m. May 16, he stepped out on his porch because he'd heard a sound on the roof, which he said ended up being hail. 'The wind started picking up so I immediately closed the door and by that time, I knew something bad was coming so I laid down in my kitchen floor,' Murphy recounted. 'Next thing I know, my trailer felt like it was up in the air, turned upside down, and slammed on the roof.' Murphy said he must have blacked out during the experience, saying it only spanned 30 to 45 seconds. He shared that while he did not acquire any broken bones, it did hurt his head and back. Murphy went on to spend the night in his brother's truck, awaking there at daylight. 'I went back to where I knew I got up from and there was a Bible laying there... It had embroidery on it and it was Psalms 93:11. It said, 'The Lord will give charge over his angels to protect you in all your ways,' and that was laying right beside where I was at,' said Murphy. Now, Murphy temporarily resides in a mobile home loaned by Still Water Baptist Church. Ward has driven from Tennessee four times to provide assistance where he can. 'When this happened, I had supplies in stock already as I was giving stuff to the homeless,' Ward stated. 'When I came here, this was the first place I found really that needed some stuff.' Ward said it's been 'inspiring' to see both community members and other outsiders band together to provide aid to those in need. 'I'm just thankful for all the people that's donated and come to volunteer here,' he said. As attendees enjoyed the show, they were also treated to free hotdogs, chips, and water from Bobby and Angela Nelson. Wednesday's event came to a close following the two performances.

Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Cupps, Gary Dugger perform in tornado-affected community
Residents of Finley Trailer Park gathered last Wednesday evening for a musical performance aimed at bringing the community together after the May 16 tornado. A flatbed trailer was transformed into a stage for a special performance by The Cupps, a Christian-based band from Williamsburg, and local singer Gary Dugger. The gathering was partially organized by Monroe Murphy, a resident of the trailer park who wanted to do something in response to the devastation that struck the area. YouTube personality John Ward of La Follette, Tennessee, also played a role in making the event happen. Ward, known for his channel The Appalachian Channel with John Ward, helped facilitate the visit and documented the event for his audience. The event brought community members together to uplift one another as the area begins recovery efforts following the EF-4 tornado that left behind major structural damage in the park. Murphy was among those who had damages to his home. Recounting his experience, Murphy said that at about 11:45 p.m. May 16, he stepped out on his porch because he'd heard a sound on the roof, which he said ended up being hail. 'The wind started picking up so I immediately closed the door and by that time, I knew something bad was coming so I laid down in my kitchen floor,' Murphy recounted. 'Next thing I know, my trailer felt like it was up in the air, turned upside down, and slammed on the roof.' Murphy said he must have blacked out during the experience, saying it only spanned 30 to 45 seconds. He shared that while he did not acquire any broken bones, it did hurt his head and back. Murphy went on to spend the night in his brother's truck, awaking there at daylight. 'I went back to where I knew I got up from and there was a Bible laying there... It had embroidery on it and it was Psalms 93:11. It said, 'The Lord will give charge over his angels to protect you in all your ways,' and that was laying right beside where I was at,' said Murphy. Now, Murphy temporarily resides in a mobile home loaned by Still Water Baptist Church. Ward has driven from Tennessee four times to provide assistance where he can. 'When this happened, I had supplies in stock already as I was giving stuff to the homeless,' Ward stated. 'When I came here, this was the first place I found really that needed some stuff.' Ward said it's been 'inspiring' to see both community members and other outsiders band together to provide aid to those in need. 'I'm just thankful for all the people that's donated and come to volunteer here,' he said. As attendees enjoyed the show, they were also treated to free hotdogs, chips, and water from Bobby and Angela Nelson. Wednesday's event came to a close following the two performances.


Cosmopolitan
6 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
‘Love Island' UK vs USA: The Biggest Differences Between the Shows
The reality TV gods have truly blessed us, as right now, not one, but two series of Love Island are currently airing, and honestly what a summer we have ahead of us. Earlier this week the 12th series of Love Island UK landed on ITV2 and last week Love Island USA began its seventh season on Peacock. Much of the show remains the same on both sides of the pond—a group of eligible singles are on the lookout for love spending eight weeks in a villa, where they have a summer of cracking on, "got a text" and deep meaningful chats around the firepit. However, there are some pretty major noticeable differences between both iconic shows. Curious to know more? These are the biggest difference's between Love Island UK and Love Island USA. UK Love Island UK is of course hosted by the icon that is Maya Jama. The TV presenter has been working on the show since series nine in 2023, after taking over from Laura Whitmore. She also hosts the show's spin-off Sunday night episode Aftersun. USA Meanwhile in the USA, former Vanderpump Rules cast member Ariana Madix presents the show. Ariana joined last season, following former host Sarah Hyland's exit from the show. While the hosts may be different, Iain Stirling does in fact do the voiceovers for both series. UK Since the show's inception 10 years ago with series one in 2015, Love Island has always been filmed on the Spanish island of Mallorca. In the first few series it was shot in Santanyi, however since 2017 it's been filmed in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. The winter version of the series takes place in South Africa. USA Love Island USA has filmed in a variety of locations since it began. When the show was out on CBS the first season was filmed in Fiji, however it was moved to Las Vegas for season two due to the pandemic. The third season then took place in Hawaii. The show was then moved to be shown on Peacock and as part of this for the show's first season on the new network the series was filmed in California. And for the last three seasons, including the one currently airing, Love Island USA is filmed in Fiji. UK This season Love Island returns to its Mallorcan Villa, which is traditionally available as a holiday let, but is taken over by ITV every summer to create the legendary villa. In the villa there's one bedroom and one bathroom for all the Islanders. As well as the hideaway, outdoor kitchen and firepit. USA Like most things in the States, the Love Island USA villa is much bigger than the UK version. Unlike the UK one however, this villa is a set designed entirely for the show, rather than using an existing structure. They also have the addition of a 'speakeasy'. Unlike in the UK where the beds face each other, in the US all the beds are in a long line in the bedroom. UK Over the years there's been a lot of challenges in the UK version of the series, from the Twitter challenge, to the baby challenge and of course all those gross food tasks. Thankfully the food tasks are now gone and generally the producers have cut back on the game element of the series. Now, the biggest challenges are the "snog, marry, pie" and the snogging line up challenge. USA In the USA, the series does a variety of challenges and while they keep some the same such as "snog, marry, pie" there's still a lot of different ones. Earlier this season they did a blind-folded test with the new bombshells and last year they continued the tradition of doing the food challenges they've axed in the UK. UK Since the show began in 2015, Love Island UK has always given away a prize fund of £50,000 to the couple who are crowned the season's winners. For many of the seasons the winning couple would then be asked if they wanted to split or steal the money from their partner, however this part of the show has since been axed. USA Over on the other side of the pond, the winning couple walks away with a joint prize fund of $100,000.