''Cold Case'' is an American

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

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 ...

television series. It ran 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 ...

from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD, Philly PD, or Philly Police) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, f ...

division that specializes in investigating

cold case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

s, usually

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

Premise

The show is set in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and it follows Detective Lilly Rush (

Kathryn Morris Kathryn Susan Morris (born January 28, 1969) is an American actress, best known for her lead role as Detective Lilly Rush in the CBS series ''Cold Case''. Early and personal life Kathryn Susan Morris was born on January 28, 1969 in Cincinnati ...

), a

detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, who specializes in cold cases, or investigations which are no longer being actively pursued by the department. Rush was initially partnered with Detective Chris Lassing (

Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005-20). Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High School, South Charleston, and later studi ...

) in the first five episodes and then with Detective Scotty Valens (

Danny Pino Daniel Gonzalo Pino (born April 15, 1974) is an American actor who starred as Detective Scotty Valens on the CBS series '' Cold Case'' from 2003 to 2010, and as NYPD Detective Nick Amaro in the long-running NBC crime drama '' Law & Order: S ...

) for the remainder of the series. They work under Lieutenant John Stillman (

John Finn John Joseph Finn (born September 30, 1952) is an American character actor known as one of the leads of the television programs ''Cold Case'' and '' EZ Streets''. Finn has also had supporting roles in the films '' The Hunted'' (2003), ''Analyze ...

) and are assisted by other detectives from their squad—Nick Vera (

Jeremy Ratchford Jeremy Ratchford (born August 6, 1965) is a Canadian actor. He starred as Nick Vera on the TV series ''Cold Case''. Early life Ratchford was born in Kitchener, Ontario, on August 6, 1965. He studied acting at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and ...

), Will Jeffries ( Thom Barry), and beginning in season three, Kat Miller (

Tracie Thoms Tracie Thoms is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in ''Rent'', ''Cold Case'', '' The Devil Wears Prada'', ''Death Proof'', the Fox television series '' Wonderfalls''; as of 2018 she has been a recurring cast member of th ...

). Usually, each episode would focus on a single investigation. All cases involved murders committed (or bodies found) in Philadelphia, although investigations occasionally required travel outside the city. Cases were also spread out over much of the previous century, with some as recent as a year or two old and others dating back to the 1910s. Generally, an investigation would begin when the police received a new lead, or new direction, on a case. Over the course of the episode, the detectives would interview witnesses associated with the crime and piece together the story of what led the victims to their death. These interviews were accompanied by flashback sequences to the era of the murder, which dramatized the testimony. Through the flashbacks, the show examined many issues related to 20th century history, including

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

transphobia Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to socia ...

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, and

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

. The show was distinguished by double casting, in which the characters and witnesses would flash back and forth in the scene representing them as they looked at the time of the crime and in the present day. At the end of the episode, when the killer or killers were exposed and confronted, the confession would be in a flashback scene depicting the murder. The police would be shown arresting the killer and walking them into custody. The victims would sometimes also reappear as fading visions to one of the police officers.

Music

The theme song is an excerpt from "Nara" by

E.S. Posthumus E.S. Posthumus was an independent music group that produced a form of 21st-century classical music/epic music that intertwined popular style drum rhythms with orchestral and electronic sounds. Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean philosophy ...

, with an introduction by series composer Michael A. Levine that begins with an otherworldly wail from vocalist Elise Morris. Besides Levine's original music, each episode makes extensive use of era-appropriate music for flashbacks to the year in question. Some episodes contain music only from one artist such as

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

, U2,

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's music was used in the two-part season-six finale, the first time one artist's music has been used for two full episodes.

Cast and characters

as Lilly Rush, a Homicide Detective. Lilly first investigates a cold case during episode 1 of the series, and later continues to do so at her own request. In this capacity, Rush becomes the lead detective of the cold case division. *

as Chris Lassing, a detective. Lilly's original partner (Season 1). *

as Scotty Valens, a detective. Lilly's second partner. *

as John Stillman, a lieutenant and the head of Philadelphia Homicide Division. *

as Nick Vera, a detective assigned to Homicide. * Thom Barry as Will Jeffries, a senior detective, and Philadelphia Homicide Division's assistant-supervisor. *

as Kat Miller, a narcotics detective who later joins as a homicide detective (Seasons 3–7).

Fictional universe

Danny Pino appeared as Valens in the '' CSI: NY'' episode "Cold Reveal". This episode connected ''Cold Case'' to not only ''CSI: NY'', but also to '' CSI: Miami'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' CSI: Cyber'', and ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

''.

Adaptations

Japanese adaptation

A Japanese remake of the series, , set in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, was broadcast on cable network WOWOW Prime from October 22, 2016, to December 24, 2016. A second season was broadcast from October 13, 2018, to December 15, 2018, and a third season was broadcast from December 5, 2020, to February 13, 2021. The second and third seasons are filmed in 8K and downscaled to 4K for broadcast.

Russian adaptation

Company Star Media produced Russian adaptation of the series (broadcast in Russia under the title ''Detective Rush'') named ''Without Prescription''. The show consists of 25 episodes.

''Cold Squad'' controversy

At the launch of ''Cold Case'' in July 2003, a Canadian journalist asked the launch panel about similarities between ''Cold Case'' and a Canadian series called ''

Cold Squad ''Cold Squad'' is a Canadian police procedural television series that premiered on CTV on January 23, 1998, at 10 p.m., and ran for seven seasons. Led by Sergeant Ali McCormick ( Julie Stewart), a team of homicide detectives from the Vancouver P ...

'' which had debuted five years earlier. ''Cold Squad'' fans accused the American series of copying the Canadian program's basic premise and characters. In 2003, the ''Cold Squad'' creators considered seeking legal redress against the ''Cold Case'' producers over copyright issues. Both shows aired in Canada (and on the same network, CTV). In November 2003, the law firm O'Donnell & Schaeffer confirmed it agreed to represent the ''Cold Squad'' producers, who claimed the CBS series was a copy of their own hit show. ''The Globe and Mail'' reported that Meredith Stiehm, the American series creator, attended a TV writing seminar at the

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

in 2002 where the ''Cold Squad'' concept was discussed. O'Donnell lawyer, Carole Handler stated: "Our clients are very concerned about many striking similarities and have retained counsel to investigate the situation and, if necessary, to take appropriate action."

Episodes

U.S. television ratings

:Note: ''Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May

sweeps Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...

.'' * In season 3 episode "A Perfect Day" ''Cold Case'' set a series rating record by attracting an audience of 19.36 million viewers.

Cancellation

''Cold Case'' began in September 2003 and quickly became a staple of the CBS Sunday night schedule. The crime drama had a successful first season and, by season two, was averaging a 3.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 15.1 million viewers. For the next couple seasons, total viewership fell slightly but the demographic numbers rose, reaching a 3.8 rating in season four. In season five, the show averaged a 2.9 rating and just under 11 million viewers and ranked 28th. In season six, the ratings sank lower, to an average of a 2.7 rating but climbed up to 12 million viewers and ranked 20th. CBS made a choice between renewing ''

'' and ''Cold Case''. They chose to keep ''Cold Case''. The real ratings trouble began in the final season, when the show's ratings dropped even further to a 2.15 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 9.6 million viewers. One reason for this is that the show aired at 10:00 pm; the ratings dropped 25% to 9 million viewers. On November 22, 2009, CBS made a final attempt to increase the ratings by scheduling ''Cold Case'' at 9:00 pm. The ratings increased to 10 million viewers, but it was short-lived because on February 14, 2010, ''Cold Case'' returned to its original schedule, at 10:00 pm and the ratings dropped. The show concluded its run in May 2010 ranking at #29. More than two weeks after the series finale aired, CBS announced the show would not be renewed for an eighth season. On May 18, 2010, CBS announced the cancellation of the series after seven seasons and 156 episodes. Since it had become customary to end each season with a

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

, season 7's final episode, " Shattered", ended leaving viewers wondering about the fates of several characters. The cancellation of the show left those questions unresolved. In April 2024, a revival of the series was under discussion, but in September 2024 ''Deadline'' reported that a deal for the proposed series could not be reached between Warner Brothers Television and CBS.

Distribution

Broadcast

The series aired in syndication on CBS, and also on

Ion Television Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August ...

in the United States. and on Viva in Canada. Sleuth also aired the series occasionally. In 2011, the show aired on

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

until its removal a year later. The show made its debut on the new over-the-air channel

Start TV Start TV is an American free-to-air television network owned as a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting and the CBS News and Stations subsidiary of Paramount Global. Predominantly carried on the digital subchannels of its affiliated tele ...

when it launched on September 3, 2018. It also airs on MBC Action. As of 2022, reruns are often shown on

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

Home media and streaming

After the program's debut in 2003, the show was not released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

due to licensing issues related to the use of contemporary music in each episode. In May 2020, the

Roku Channel The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the UK. The service was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. It is the most popular free ad-supported streaming televisio ...

in the United States released all episodes of ''Cold Case'' to stream for the first time, in a high-definition digital format, with full subtitles and all contemporary music from the original CBS broadcasts left intact. The streaming ended in December 2020. The show returned to the service in September 2021. ''Cold Case'' was made available for streaming on

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

as of June 19, 2023. All seasons of ''Cold Case'' are also available to stream on

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The series also airs on

Quest Red Quest Red is a British free-to-air television channel in the United Kingdom broadcasting factual, lifestyle, crime and reality programming aimed at a female audience. The channel is operated by Warner Bros. Discovery and runs as a sibling to Di ...

in the United Kingdom and available for streaming on

Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discov ...

Awards and nominations

Awards

;

ASCAP Award The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

* Top TV Series – (2004) * Top TV Series – (2005) * Top TV Series – (2006) * Top TV Series – (2007) * Top TV Series – (2008) * Top TV Series – (2009) ;

GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

* Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character) – For episode "Best Friends". (2006) ;

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

* Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series – Paris Barclay (2006) ; Imagen Foundation Awards * Best Actor, Television – Danny Pino (2010)

Nominations

;ALMA Awards * Outstanding Actor in a Drama Television Series – Danny Pino (2008) ;ASC Awards * Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series (For episode "Time To Hate") (2004) ; Excellence in Production Design Award * Television – Single Camera Television Series (For episode "Factory Girls") (2005) ;CDG Awards * Outstanding Costume Design for Television Series – Period/Fantasy (2005) * Outstanding Costume Design for Television Series – Period/Fantasy (2006) * Outstanding Costume Design for Television Series – Period/Fantasy (2007) ;GLAAD Media Awards * Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character) (For episode "A Time to Hate") (2004) * Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character) (For episode "It's Raining Men") (2005) * Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character) (For episode "Daniela") (2005) * Outstanding Individual Episode (For episode "Forever Blue") (2007) * Outstanding Individual Episode (in a Series without a Regular LGBT Character) (For episode "Boy Crazy") (2008) ;

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

* Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series – Corey Kaplan, Sandy Getzler, & Timothy Stepeck (2005)

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD was released in 2008 by Lakeshore Records, featuring incidental music composed by Michael A. Levine from the first four seasons, as well as the song 300 Flowers, sung by Robbyn Kirmsse.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cold Case 2000s American crime drama television series 2000s American mystery television series 2000s American police procedural television series 2003 American television series debuts 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American mystery television series 2010s American police procedural television series 2010 American television series endings American English-language television shows Fictional portrayals of the Philadelphia Police Department Television shows about ghosts Television franchises Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Philadelphia Police procedurals CBS crime dramas