Posted in: CBS, TV | Tagged: strike force

Strike Force: Soffer, Olmstead Developing Crime Drama Series for CBS

FBI: International star Jesse Lee Soffer and showrunner Matt Olmstead are reportedly developing the crime drama Strike Force for CBS.

Published Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:37:08 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Article Summary

Strike Force is a new CBS crime drama in early development from Jesse Lee Soffer and showrunner Matt Olmstead.
Written by Olmstead, Strike Force stars Soffer as a veteran DEA agent returning to Kansas City to lead a task force.
The Strike Force project comes from Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios, with Bruckheimer producing.
CBS has added Strike Force to its 2027-28 development slate, signaling a renewed focus on pilot-style development.

Fans of CBS's FBI: International might be interested to know that series star Jesse Lee Soffer and showrunner Matt Olmstead are cooking up something news for the network. Soffer and Olmstead are reteaming for the crime drama Strike Force (working title), stemming from Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios. Just to be clear, the project is at its very early stages, with a development room ordered and added to the network's 2027-28 development slate. Written by Olmstead, the series would spotlight a battle-tested DEA agent (Soffer) who returns home to Kansas City to lead a multi-agency strike force targeting the violent criminals now trying to exploit America's heartland. Soffer and Olmstead would serve as executive producers, alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed for Jerry Bruckheimer TV.

If a lot of this sounds very old-school television, there's a very good reason. It works. Back in April 2026, CBS rolled out four projects that were in development and were possibly set to make the cut for the 2027-2028 television season. Shortly after, comedy series Hilda! (In Lights!) and forensic drama, I Know Who You Are, received orders for two additional scripts each, while a development room was also opened for the Matt LeBlanc (Friends)-starring cop dramedy Flint. Soffer and Olmstead's Strike Force is going the same route as the LeBlanc series. Though scripts for Flint and I Know Who You Are are still being worked on, Hilda! (In Lights!) was given an official pilot order. In the universe of CBS's Sheriff Country and Fire Country, a potential new medical spinoff is set to debut during the second season of Sheriff Country (which returns during the first full week of October). The network has gone back to its own form of a pilot season, a common practice in the past that's making a return in the post-"The Great Streaming Wars of 2022" television landscape, as well as offering straight-to-series orders after a development room.