Amid months of tension at CBS, the network faces fresh turmoil as the lead of its upcoming crime drama has departed, pointing to further instability as major lawsuits and executive shake-ups
Michael Michele starred on CIA
The CBS Network is facing yet another setback as one of the leads on its upcoming series, “CIA,” has exited, in what sources describe as a major cast departure.
According to exclusive reports to Deadline, actress Michael Michele, who had played the head of the CIA’s New York Station in the drama, has left the production.
The series, which is headlined by Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss, began production in September with the intention of a mid-season premiere. It is unclear whether Michele will be recast or if the role will be deleted or rewritten; the source shared “that has not been confirmed and appears unclear at the moment.”
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This departure marks the second major change for the series. Originally picked up in April with a straight-to-series order, CIA underwent a showrunner switch over the summer when Warren Leight replaced David Hudgins as showrunner amid production upheaval.
CIA’s premise positions a CIA case officer (Ellis) paired with FBI agent (Gehlfuss). The two characters are assigned to work out of the CIA’s New York Station.
Michael Michele exits CBS
Michele was cast in the role of the station’s head, and the show also features Natalee Linez in the role of a CIA analyst. The production is being made by Universal Television, which is a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios.
Executive producers include the long-running television producer Dick Wolf alongside Warren Leight, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen, and Peter Jankowski.
The timing of Michele’s exit comes at a tense moment for CBS. The network’s parent company, Paramount Global, recently agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump that accused CBS’s news magazine show 60 Minutes of deceptively editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.
CBS is going through a tense time
The settlement was for $16 million and was reportedly directed toward Trump’s future presidential library and legal fees. Paramount did not issue an apology.
On his show, Stephen Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe” and declared, “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
Shortly thereafter, CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s late-night franchise, which drew scrutiny from lawmakers.
Elizabeth Warren posted, “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16 M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”
Industry observers note that the settlement and the cancellation of Colbert’s program came as Paramount sought regulatory approval for its proposed $8+ billion merger with Skydance Media.
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