Does television need another spinoff?
Oh, we already know that our opinions on that matter are irrelevant because there is nothing the industry loves more than to churn out multiple variations of the same versions of our favorite series.
And as much as we side-eye them for the lack of originality, most of us are still firmly seated for them. If the formula works, then it works.
Another Dick Wolf Spinoff Spells Success
When it comes to the spinoff game, Dick Wolf has been dominating television for over 30 years because of them.
That’s why CBS’s addition of another show to the FBI franchise isn’t surprising. I’ll even say it’s potentially exciting.
Setting aside that a new FBI series could spell doom for one of the spinoffs, the franchise may be livening things up with this joint task force version of the series.
Spinoffs with different premises aren’t always a success story.
Unfortunately, despite how much we laud NCIS: Origins, viewers aren’t responding as well to this phenomenal retro series that feels better suited for streaming that network.
While The Rookie has been wildly successful (and attempting to push another spinoff we’re less than enthused about), The Rookie: Feds completely fell apart and didn’t hold up to the mother show.
It turned out that the FBI version of that show didn’t have the same appeal or knew to commit to the ridiculousness of its unrealistic circumstances as The Rookie has successfully done over the years.
However, Dick Wolf often has the Midas Touch, juggling multiple franchises across almost all the broadcast networks and streaming, and with great success.
If anyone has a locked-in, devoted, supportive fanbase, it’s Dick Wolf. They’ll flock to a new series even when it may come at the expense of others they love.
FBI: CIA’s Premise is Intriguing Enough to Work
FBI: CIA’s premise is unique to what the other series in the franchise has to offer.
While all of them have dabbled in terrorism in shape or fashion, it’s not a subject matter with exclusivity and laser-focus when there is such an array of topics that the other shows can explore.
Domestic terrorism is a prevalent enough issue to warrant its own special task force or attention to detail.
It typically falls under the FBI’s jurisdiction. However, it can also extend to other agencies and local law enforcement.
What’s fascinating about this concept is that the FBI and CIA are different agencies with different agendas. Traditionally, CIA officers aren’t supposed to operate on US territory or retain and investigate information from or about US citizens.
Whether or not you believe all that is an entirely different conversation, but we’re going with that.
FBI: CIA Could Expand Our Understanding of How the CIA Operates
The CIA is much more than this illusion of clandestine locations and agents living on the edge and endangering themselves.
Most of those who work at the CIA don’t have to hide their identities or even their employer. They may not be allowed to share all the details, but it’s deemed a federal job like many others.
The gigs within the CIA range far beyond the exciting super spy traipsing around Europe undercover. Analysts and so forth exist, right?
What’s intriguing about this premise for a show is how the FBI will effectively combine these two agencies and if they’ll take some typical Hollywood liberties with the CIA or play it closer to the vest in its depiction.
Truthfully, if the series opts to be more realistic, the show could be far more interesting than if they go the expected route.
We don’t know much about the show, but they have teased a synopsis in which a straight-laced, buy-the-books FBI agent partners with a “street-smart” CIA agent.
Strong Ensembles are Great, But FBI: CIA’s Biggest Perk May Be a Dynamic Partnership
And already, it feels like FBI: CIA could lean closer to the original series than any others because it’s sticking to the art form of building a show around a strong partnership.
Strong ensembles are great, and there are certainly plenty of them on television and across franchises. However, the allure of a solid “buddy-cop” bond or an odd-couple dynamic duo is one of television’s greatest tropes.
A street-smart CIA agent could lean into the stereotypes about the agency, but if they pick the right person for the gig and they have great chemistry with their FBI counterpart, then a girl is willing to overlook all of that.
The premise would suggest that there’s some special task force that formed for the sole purpose of tackling domestic terrorism. How else would these two agencies partner up to such a degree?
The series will have to set a believable explanation as to why this is taking off, but even if they pull that off, the name isn’t working.
We’re Here for FBI: CIA, But the Name Has to Go!
FBI: CIA is a cringe-worthy mouthful of acronyms that doesn’t flow off the tongue with ease and sounds like a parody name of a show making fun of franchises and spinoffs just like this in the first place.
Understandably, they want to keep FBI in the title to fit with the other franchise series, but there has to be another creative title in the works.
They can’t take the straightforward approach like with International and Most Wanted. What do you guys think?
FBI: Task Force, FBI: Covert Affairs, FBI: Terrorism, FBI: Covert Ops, seriously, any of those would probably be better than what they’re pitching so far.
FBI: CIA Could Benefit By Shifting From NYC to DC
Also, the domestic terrorism angle is promising, and we all know that New York City is massive and can be a hub for so many types of crime as a result.
However, it would’ve been more interesting if they considered setting the new series in DC or something instead.
Unlike One Chicago, the FBI franchise isn’t tied to its location and or forced to operate within the confines of that city.
FBI: Most Wanted is a mobile fugitive unit that travels across the country hunting down dangerous perpetrators.
It’s one of the series’ strengths as we follow the unit to some fascinating locations at times rather than sticking to the same major cities that most shows tend to do.
FBI is already centered in New York City and has had a handful of domestic terrorism cases on its own. FBI: CIA operating somewhere close, like DC, but still not directly in the Big Apple would be refreshing.
Is FBI: CIA a Spinoff You’d Tune Into?
We don’t know much about this spinoff.
At least three series regulars are in the process of getting cast for the show, and we can likely expect a backdoor pilot for the show on FBI in the spring.
We also know that it’ll involve contrasting (but complementary?) agents from both agencies joining forces to prevent domestic terrorism in New York City.
But with the little we know about the show’s premise and everything we’ve come to learn about how the FBI franchise operates and Dick Wolf’s ever-growing and evolving universe, there’s at least some faith that this show could be a hit.
Each of the FBI’s bring something different to the table. FBI: International‘s premise was unique when it involved agents solving crimes that affected US Citizens while in Europe.
Ironically, its setup on paper reads more like something that involved the CIA than the new show. Nevertheless, it’s been an interesting perspective for the franchise.
Meanwhile, FBI: Most Wanted‘s manhunt approach that mirrors what one would expect from the Marshals has been fascinating to follow over the years, too.
Traveling all around and having a more active, boots-on-the-ground approach to crime-solving has set the series apart from the other two.
The FBI franchise has always succeeded at recreating the formula we like about the show but with unique concepts that differentiate one show from another. FBI: CIA will be another prime example of this.
It’s why the premise already sounds promising, and confidence in what the franchise has been able to do is enough to pique interest in what’s to come, despite the reservations about what it means for some of the other shows.
But will you be tuning into the show? Let us know below!