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Fire Country isn’t the only CBS show currently going through a surprising showrunner change.
News broke in January 2026 that showrunner Tia Napolitano was leaving after multiple onscreen departures.
“Tia has been instrumental in helping both build and steer Fire Country, which not only became a top series, but is also the foundation of a growing universe,” CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios President David Stapf said in a joint statement. “We’re grateful for all her contributions and tireless work, and look forward to collaborating with her on future projects.”
Napolitano was with the show since its 2022 premiere on CBS. Before her exit, Napolitano spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about what fans could expect from the remainder of the fourth season.
“[You should] be worried. We’ve got Bode and Tyler in a fire shelter in the middle of a blaze. Those things are built for one, there’s two lives in there,” Napolitano shared in December 2025. “And we’ve got Jake and his brother over the side of a cliff. You see how many times that vehicle goes over and over. We see heads hit hard surfaces.”
Napolitano teased that “those are not easy things to come back” from, adding, “We’ll watch our people fight to get out of there.” She also revealed there was a “huge twist” coming in the midseason premiere.
The showrunner change came after budget cuts led to Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila‘s exits. Elsewhere at the network, NCIS‘ prequel series NCIS: Origins and FBI spinoff CIA also faced some shakeups behind the scenes.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the changes:
‘Fire Country’
Napolitano released a statement in January 2026, which read, “I am beyond proud of the past four seasons of Fire Country. All of my gratitude to our cast, crew, writers, producers, fans, and of course CBS and CBS Studios. It’s been a beautiful ride!”
Multiple outlets including Deadline reported that a replacement for Napolitano hasn’t been found yet.
Cost-cutting efforts are affecting scripted TV, with more and more shows reducing screen time for main cast members due to budget reasons. NBC’s Law & Order and One Chicago franchises have become known for various cast exits across the franchise over the years. As Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. lose fan-favorite characters, NBC’s […]
‘NCIS: Origins’
Mariel Molino, Austin Stowell. Erik Voake/CBS
It was confirmed in January 2026 that co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal is departing from the show at the end of season 2. David J. North will remain and will serve as sole showrunner in her absence.
“Gina has been an important beloved member of the ‘NCIS’ family for many years,” CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios President David Stapf said in a joint statement. “We are incredibly grateful to her for helping launch and steer NCIS: Origins, and bringing these incredible characters and stories to life. We look forward to working with her again in the future on new projects, and know the creative foundation she helped build will continue to thrive.”
Monreal released her own statement about the surprise exit. “It’s been the biggest honor of my career to write NCIS: Origin’ alongside my incredible co-showrunner and friend David North,” she wrote. “I want to thank Amy Reisenbach, David Stapf, and everyone at CBS Network and Studio for their support.”
She continued: “To have had this opportunity to work again with the incomparable Mark Harmon, Sean Harmon, our writers, and the best cast and crew in the business — how lucky am I? I can’t wait to see what this extraordinary group cooks up for season 3.”
‘CIA’
In April 2025, CBS gave CIA a straight-to-series order starring Tom Ellis and Nick Gehlfuss. Originally planned for a fall 2025 premiere, CIA was pushed to midseason after Warren Leight replaced FBI: Most Wanted‘s David Hudgins as showrunner.
The changes kept coming when Michael Michele, one of the series’ leads, left in November 2025. Days later, Eriq La Salle left the series as executive producer. He was attached to CIA since its conception and directed the pilot before his exit.
