The CBS Network is grappling with another significant blow as a key cast member has departed from its forthcoming series, “CIA,” in what insiders are calling a substantial casting shakeup.
Deadline has exclusively learned that actress Michael Michele, who was set to portray the head of the CIA’s New York Station in the drama, has walked away from the project. This comes just after network icon Gayle King stepped away.
The show, which stars Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss in leading roles, kicked off filming in September with plans for a mid-season debut. Whether Michele’s character will be recast, eliminated, or reimagined remains uncertain; sources indicate “that has not been confirmed and appears unclear at the moment.”
This exit represents the second significant shake-up for the production. After receiving a direct series order in April, CIA experienced a leadership transition during the summer months when Warren Leight took over showrunning duties from David Hudgins following behind-the-scenes turbulence.
The show’s storyline centers on a CIA case officer (Ellis) who teams up with an FBI agent (Gehlfuss). The duo operates from the CIA’s New York Station headquarters.
Michele had been tapped to lead the station, while the cast also includes Natalee Linez as a CIA analyst. Universal Television, part of Universal Studio Group, is producing the series alongside Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios.
The executive producer roster features veteran television powerhouse Dick Wolf, along with Warren Leight, Nicole Perlman, David Chasteen, and Peter Jankowski. Michele’s departure from CBS comes at a critical time for the network.
Its parent company, Paramount Global, recently settled a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump, who accused CBS’s news magazine show 60 Minutes of misleadingly editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.
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The settlement amounted to $16 million and was reportedly allocated towards Trump’s future presidential library and legal expenses. No apology was issued by Paramount.
Stephen Colbert, on his show, labeled the settlement as a “big fat bribe” and stated, “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.”
Soon after, CBS announced the termination of Colbert’s late-night franchise, which attracted attention 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 insiders point out that the settlement and the cancellation of Colbert’s show occurred as Paramount was seeking regulatory approval for its proposed $8+ billion merger with Skydance Media.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
