Critic Reviews

So far, “CIA” works well as an average New York City-set law-enforcement procedural. Perhaps that will be enough.

With his James Bond 1990 vibe, Colin is the partner one instinctively prefers, unless one has a natural liking for Eagle Scout types. .... The trick the good guys play to bring the bad to heel makes no real sense, only TV spy sense. But this is, after all, television, and “CIA” knows what some of us want, or will settle for, from our spies.

STREAM IT if you like FBI or are a big Tom Ellis fan; CIA should scratch the itch of both sets of viewers. If you’re looking for an interesting procedural, SKIP IT.

It’s classic buddy cop stuff, a “Lethal Weapon” without the jokes, which is part of the problem. You can predict everything both Colin and Bill are going to say or do, and while both are credible actors with no shortage of charm, they’re bogged down by perfunctory writing.

Not every show needs to be genre-pushing, thought-provoking art. But if you’re not going to make something new, you do at least need to make something quality. And an important part of quality is understanding the audience, moment, and subject matter. “CIA” does none of that.