''CSI: Vegas'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Vegas'') is an American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

series that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

on October 6, 2021. It is a revival of the 2000–15 series '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and the fifth and final series in the ''CSI'' franchise. The series stars Paula Newsome,

Matt Lauria Matthew Lauria (born August 15, 1982) is an American actor and musician. He made his television debut on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'' in 2007. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on the NBC/DirecTV drama '' Friday Night Lights'', Ryan ...

, Mandeep Dhillon, and

Mel Rodriguez Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor and comedian, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Go ...

as new characters.

William Petersen William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama thriller series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award an ...

and

Jorja Fox Jorja Fox (born July 7, 1968) is an American actress. She first came to prominence with a recurring role in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' as Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring rol ...

reprised their roles from ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' as

Gil Grissom Gilbert Arthur Grissom (born August 17, 1956), Ph.D. is a fictional character portrayed by William Petersen on the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Grissom is a forensic entomologist and for t ...

and Sara Sidle during the first season before departing, while

Marg Helgenberger Mary Margaret Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s and first came to attention for playing the role of Siobhan Ryan on the daytime soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' from 1982 to 1986. Sh ...

reprises her ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' role as

Catherine Willows Catherine Willows is a fictional character, portrayed by Marg Helgenberger, from the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, ''CSI: Vegas''. Helgenberger made her franchise debut in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (s ...

beginning with season two.

Wallace Langham James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' CSI: ...

Paul Guilfoyle Paul Vincent Guilfoyle () (born April 28, 1949) is an American character actor. He was a regular cast member of the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', on which he played Captain Jim Brass from 2000 to 2014. He returned for ...

and Eric Szmanda also reprise their roles as

David Hodges David Hodges (born December 5, 1978) is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000 to 2002, and has co-written and co-produced for pop, pop rock a ...

, Jim Brass and

Greg Sanders '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony E. Zuiker and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, William Petersen, Cynthia Chvatal, Naren Shankar, and Don Mc ...

, in a guest capacity. Originally branded as an

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

limited series, the show was renewed for a second season in December 2021, without Fox, Petersen, or Rodriguez returning. The first season consisted of ten episodes. The second season premiered on September 29, 2022, consisting of 21 episodes. On February 21, 2023, CBS renewed ''CSI: Vegas'' for a shortened third season, consisting of ten episodes. On November 13, 2023, CBS announced the premiere date for its shows. The third season premiered on February 18, 2024, moving to Sunday nights. In April 2024, the series was canceled after three seasons. The series finale aired on May 19, 2024.

Cast

Main

* Paula Newsome as Maxine "Max" Roby, head of the Las Vegas Crime Lab *

as Joshua "Josh" Folsom, a CSI Level III who is typically the lead investigator on cases. He is demoted to Level I in season 3 after going rogue to avenge his mother's murder, but is reinstated to Level III at the end of the series finale. * Mandeep Dhillon as Ahalya "Allie" Rajan, a CSI recently promoted to Level III who is an immigrant who followed her dreams to Las Vegas. *

as Dr. Hugo Ramirez, the Chief Medical Examiner (season 1) *

as Sara Sidle (season 1) *

(season 1) * Ariana Guerra as Serena Chavez, a homicide detective (seasons 2–3) * Jay Lee as Christopher "Chris" Park, a CSI Level I (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) * Lex Medlin as Beau Finado, a CSI Level I (seasons 2–3) *

(seasons 2–3)

Recurring

(season 1) *

Chelsey Crisp Chelsey Crisp (born June 5, 1983) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her role as Honey Ellis on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television sitcom ''Fresh Off the Boat''. Early life Crisp was born in 1983 ...

as Emma Hodges, David's wife (season 1) * Jamie McShane as Anson Wix, a corrupt civil attorney (season 1) * Sarah Gilman as Penelope "Penny" Gill, a CSI * Sean James as Will Carson, a homicide detective *

Kat Foster Kat Foster is an American stage and screen actress known for her roles in the TV series '' 'Til Death'', '' The Unusuals'', '' Your Family or Mine'', '' The Goodwin Games'' and '' Jean-Claude Van Johnson'' among others. She has also starred in fi ...

as Nora Cross, an Internal Affairs detective (season 1; guest: season 3) * Robert Curtis Brown as Undersheriff Cade Wyatt (season 1) * Luke Tennie as Bryan Roby, Maxine's son *

Kathleen Wilhoite Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...

as Dr. Diane Auerbach (season 2) * Sara Amini as Dr. Sonya Nikolayevich, chief medical examiner (season 2; guest season 3) * Joel Johnstone as Jack Nikolayevich, assistant medical examiner and Sonya's older brother (season 2-3) * Sherri Saum as Jodi Wallach, a board member of the Eclipse Casino (season 2) * Katie Stevens as Lindsey Willows (season 2) * Derek Webster as Dr. Milton Hudson, substitute medical examiner (seasons 2–3) * Rob Morgan as Daniel Jordan, Maxine's ex-husband (season 2) * Eric Szmanda as

(season 2) *

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich (born Lolita Davidović; July 15, 1961) is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination. ...

as Jeannette Folsom, Josh's mother (season 2) * Daniel di Tomasso as Trey Cahill, Folsom's childhood friend (season 2) * Reggie Lee as Undersheriff Zhao (season 3)

Guest Star

as Jim Brass (season 1)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2022–2023)

Season 3 (2024)

Production

Development

Following the airing of the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...

of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' in 2015, series creator Anthony E. Zuiker said the future of the characters would be that " Grissom and Sara ... ould still besailing the oceans, ... saving the environment, ... ould havechildren, and they would dedicate their lives to the betterment of humanity. ...

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

would still be running the crime lab, ...

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

] probably would retire, ... and D.B. Russell, DB probably is working in the private sector in Washington DC. And I think that all these characters would still have their toe in the crime water." Soon after the cancellation of the last series in the franchise, '' CSI: Cyber'', in 2016, it was announced that the producers were open to reviving the franchise. The CBS Entertainment president at the time, Glenn Geller, said, "We are incredibly proud of all ''CSI'' shows. It may come back in another incarnation." On February 10, 2020, it was announced that an event series sequel to ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' was being discussed, from Jason Tracey,

CBS Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a re ...

, and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, with Tracey,

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...

, and

Jonathan Littman Jonathan Littman (born 1962/1963) is an American producer who serves as president of Jerry Bruckheimer Television. Biography Littman was raised in West Orange, New Jersey, the son of Dr. Harold Littman and Annette Littman. He is a graduate of ...

as executive producers. On August 10, 2020, it was announced that the series was still in development, now titled ''CSI: Vegas'', with the original star of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'',

, set to executive produce alongside Tracey, Bruckheimer, Littman, KirstieAnne Reed, Zuiker, Craig O'Neill, and Cynthia Chvatal. In February 2021, the series was nearing a formal straight-to-series order. It was also announced that although it is being billed as an event series, it could become an ongoing series airing multiple seasons. On March 31, 2021, it was announced that ''CSI: Vegas'' had officially been ordered to series, with

Uta Briesewitz Uta Briesewitz (born 1967) is a German cinematographer and television director. She is known for her collaborations with film director Brad Anderson. Biography Briesewitz was born in Leverkusen, Germany. She cultivated a preference for French ...

directing the pilot. On December 15, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a second season. CBS Entertainment president

Kelly Kahl Kelly Kahl (born October 20, 1966) is an American television executive and film producer. From 2017 to 2022, he served as the President of Entertainment at CBS. Early life and education Kelly Kahl was born in Burlington, Wisconsin to Ronald a ...

confirmed that the second season will be longer than 13 episodes, although the network currently has "not done a final tally yet". In October 2022, Anthony E. Zuiker teased that the second season will consist of at least 17 episodes. It was later revealed that the season would comprise 21 episodes in total. On February 21, 2023, CBS renewed ''CSI: Vegas'' for a third season, which has premiered on February 18, 2024, consisting only 10 episodes. On April 19, 2024, CBS canceled the series after three seasons.

Casting

On February 10, 2020, it was announced that two of the original stars of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', Petersen and

, were in talks to potentially reprise their roles as

and Sara Sidle. On August 10, 2020, it was announced that Petersen and Fox were still in negotiations to return, and that casting was under way for five new characters. On February 12, 2021, it was revealed that Paula Newsome,

, and

had been cast in the series. Lauria and Rodriguez both previously guest-starred as different characters in the franchise. It was also revealed that Petersen and Fox were finalizing their deals. On March 31, 2021, it was announced that Mandeep Dhillon had been cast in the series. Later that day, it was revealed that

would reprise his role as

, and Petersen and Fox were officially announced as being cast. On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Jamie McShane had been cast in a recurring role and that

would reprise his role as Jim Brass in two episodes. In September 2021, Zuiker hinted that additional ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' characters may make appearances in the series. On December 15, 2021, it was announced alongside the second season renewal that Petersen won't return as a cast member, though he would remain as executive producer. On January 25, 2022, it was announced that Fox will also not return for the second season. Two days later, it was announced that Rodriguez would leave ahead of the second season as well. On February 11, 2022, it was announced that

would reprise her role as

in the second season. On May 24, 2022, it was announced that recurring actor Jay Lee would be upgraded to series regular and that Lex Medlin and Ariana Guerra would join the cast as regulars. On December 15, 2022, it was reported that Eric Szmanda would reprise his role as

in several episodes during the latter half of the second season.

Filming

On August 10, 2020, it was announced that filming was planned to start in the fall of 2020, whenever

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

conditions permitted Hollywood production to resume. On January 8, 2021, it was announced that the series is set to begin production in early 2021. Filming began May 4, 2021, and was scheduled to run until November 4, 2021, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. On August 22, 2021, it was reported that Petersen had been taken to a hospital after becoming ill during filming.

Release

Broadcast

The series was originally planned to air on October 6, 2020, to mark 20 years since the day of the premiere of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. However, on August 10, 2020, it was announced that due to

related production shutdowns, the series would not be able to meet that premiere date. On January 8, 2021, it was announced that the series was set to air during the 2021–22 television season. On May 19, 2021, CBS announced that the series would premiere in fall 2021, on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. On July 12, 2021, a premiere date of October 6, 2021, was announced by CBS, to mark 21 years since the day of the premiere of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. The first season comprises ten episodes.

Outside the United States

The first season was premiered on

Alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

in July 2022, with the second season premiering in December 2022 in the United Kingdom. The series also aired in many Asian territories and Latin America on

AXN AXN is a pay television channel brand by Sony Pictures Television, which was first launched in September 1997 in Asia. Local versions have since been launched in several parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with some ne ...

Home media

Reception

Ratings

Overall

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

References

External links

* * {{CSI franchise CSI: Vegas CSI (franchise) television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2020s American police procedural television series 2021 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings American sequel television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Fictional portrayals of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Television productions postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television shows set in the Las Vegas Valley Television series by CBS Studios CBS crime dramas