For decades, the name Dick Wolf has been virtually synonymous with NBC programming, home to his iconic Law & Order and One Chicago universes. So, when the crime drama titan launched a brand-new procedural about the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2018, many expected it to join the lineup on his traditional network home. Instead, FBI premiered on CBS, creating a unique and successful cross-network partnership. The move wasn’t about creative differences or network disputes; it came down to one pragmatic reality: NBC simply had no room left for it.
The explanation came straight from Wolf himself. At a Television Critics Association event in 2018, he used a simple analogy to describe the situation at NBC: “There was no more beachfront real estate at NBC.”. This “beachfront real estate” refers to the highly coveted primetime slots on a major broadcast network’s schedule. By the late 2010s, NBC’s schedule was already heavily fortified with Wolf’s own hits—multiple Law & Order series and the trio of Chicago shows—leaving little space to launch and nurture a major new franchise.
The Business Deal That Made It Possible
While NBC’s schedule was full, the network’s corporate parent found a profitable way to stay involved. FBI is produced as a co-production between Universal Television, where Wolf has a longstanding deal, and CBS Television Studios. This structure was the key to unlocking the unusual arrangement.
As Wolf explained, NBC Entertainment’s leadership agreed to the setup because “it will be a profitable venture for both studios.”. For Universal and NBC, this meant they could continue earning revenue from a Dick Wolf show without having to carve out precious schedule space on their own network. For CBS, it was an opportunity to bring a proven hitmaker and his built-in audience to their network, acquiring a ready-made franchise with tremendous spin-off potential.
A Calculated Move to CBS’s Strengths
The shift to CBS was more than just a matter of necessity; it was a strategic fit. CBS has long been the most-watched broadcast network and has a particular strength with procedural dramas that appeal to a broad, network-loving audience. Wolf has consistently championed the traditional broadcast model, preferring to produce 22-24 episode seasons rather than the shorter orders typical of streaming services.
In a 2018 interview, he positioned himself as one of the last major producers fully committed to network TV, stating, “I am still a broadcast supplier… I like doing 22, 23, 24 episodes a season.”. CBS, with its stable, schedule-heavy approach, was the perfect home for this philosophy. The success was immediate. FBI became one of the most-watched shows on network television, validating the decision and quickly spawning its own expanding universe on the network.
Building a New Tuesday Night Empire
The success of the flagship FBI show allowed CBS and Wolf to replicate the “franchise night” model he perfected on NBC. Just as One Chicago dominates Wednesday nights on NBC, CBS consolidated the FBI universe on Tuesday nights.
This led to the creation of spin-offs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, creating a multi-hour block of interconnected programming. Wolf has spoken about the modern viewer’s habit of “bingeing” content, noting that a three-hour block of connected shows fits how audiences like to consume stories today. This strategy firmly established a second Dick Wolf empire on a competing network.
Evolution and the Future: Enter “CIA”
The FBI franchise on CBS continues to evolve. In a major shake-up, CBS canceled both FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International after their 2025-2026 seasons to make room for a new series. This new show, titled CIA, is set to premiere on Monday, February 23, 2026, taking over the 10 p.m. timeslot following the flagship FBI series.
Initially, CIA was presented as a separate entity from the FBI world. However, CBS has confirmed a connective thread: Jeremy Sisto will guest star as his FBI character, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, in the premiere of CIA, officially linking the two series. The new series will star Tom Ellis as CIA Agent Colin Glass and Nick Gehlfuss as FBI Agent Bill Goodman.
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While the FBI and Law & Order worlds technically exist in the same fictional universe—connected by a rare 2020 crossover with Chicago P.D.—Wolf and his showrunners have maintained a “bright line” between them, with no major cross-network crossover events planned.
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