The world of True Lies will soon be expanding. A new television series based on the 1994 hit film is set to premiere on CBS this spring.

The original film blended spy thriller tropes with comedy, focusing on a government agent who must balance his familial life with the demands of his job. Director James Cameron adapted the story from the 1991 French comedy film La Totale! with the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the lead role. The film was a box office hit, drawing a worldwide gross of $378 million. This made it the year’s third-highest-grossing title, only behind other 1994 powerhouses The Lion King and Forrest Gump. The success also landed it a Best Visual Effects Nomination at the 1995 Academy Awards.

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The television series has a lot to accomplish if it’s going to live up to its predecessor’s success. So with that, let’s look at everything we know so far. What can we expect from the plot, and how closely will it follow the movie? Who will we see in the cast? When and where will the series be released? And what else should audiences know about the True Lies television series?

True Lies: The Plot

From what we know, the television series seems to be a new interpretation of the film’s story rather than a direct sequel or continuation. However, for those who may not remember the original, let’s have a quick refresher (spoilers ahead).

True Lies follows government agent Harry Tasker, though his friends and family know him only as an average computer salesman. Harry infiltrates secret, high-level terrorist meetings, including one with “Crimson Jihad” leader Salim Abdul Aziz, around the globe. After returning home from that mission, Harry suspects his wife Helen is having an affair. He uses his resources to find out who the alleged man is and kidnaps him and Helen in disguise. Helen is interrogated, and Harry learns that she is only looking for adventure because of how often he is gone. They are interrupted by Aziz’s men, who kidnap the couple and take them to a Florida Keys island.

On the island, Aziz confesses he will detonate a nuclear warhead in the United States if they do not remove their troops from the Persian Gulf. Harry is also given a truth serum, where he confesses his actual career to Helen. Harry manages to escape, though Helen is kidnapped. He rescues her before learning Aziz has his daughter held captive in Miami, threatening to blow it up. He also rescues her and takes out Aziz and the remainder of the terrorists. After everything dies down, Helen joins Harry as an agent and accompanies him on his missions.

The television series will likely keep that same core formula while placing additional emphasis on Harry and Helen’s marriage. An official trailer gives us more information about what we can expect from the show. After Helen grows tired of Harry’s constant absences, he invites her to Paris to join him on a mission. While attempting to hide his true nature, he accidentally exposes himself as a spy during an enemy attack. Though initially upset at his lies, Helen agrees to join him as a spy. This suggests that the bulk of the show will be devoted to Harry and Helen’s new life as spies, taking a different approach to the story than the film.

True Lies: The Cast & Crew

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The television series will update the original story while preserving the same key characters. Shameless actor Steve Howey will step into the lead role of Harry Tasker, replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger from the original. So it looks like Arnold won’t… be back. Harry’s wife, Helen Tasker, is portrayed by Ginger Gonzaga of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In the original, Helen was played by Jamie Lee Curtis.

Actor Omar Miller is playing Albert “Gib” Gibson, one of Harry’s associates originally played by Tom Arnold in the film. Mike O’Gorman is playing the role of Luther, an associate of Harry’s, also in disguise. Erica Hernandez will play another new addition, Maria, an operative working with Harry. The Taskers’ daughter Dana is played by Annabella Didion (Eliza Dushku in the film). This time around they also have a son, Jake, played by actor Lucas Jaye.

Additional cast members include Carlo Rota as Francois, Andy Martin as Mikkel Rand, Andrea Liang as Cherry, Deneen Tyler as Mrs. Myers, Liann Pattison as Donna, Ray Gaspard as Lawrence, Franco Castan as a taxi driver, Christian Juru as a valet, John Jabaley as Fred, Jenny Mercein as Professor Gilpin, and Jeremy Dean as a construction worker. Even Beverly D’Angelo is among the cast roster as Trilby, the director at Harry’s agency.

Something else worth noting is that original director James Cameron is back, this time as an executive producer.

Release Date

True Lies is set to premiere on March 1 on CBS. It will air new episodes every Wednesday at 10:00pm.