''CSI: Vegas'' is an American crime drama television series that debuted on

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

on October 6, 2021. It is a follow-up to the long-running series ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', and the fifth series in the ''CSI'' franchise. The first season stars

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

and

Jorja Fox Jorja-An Fox ( ) is an American actress and producer. 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 ro ...

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 Sara Sidle is a fictional character portrayed by actress Jorja Fox on the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Sidle is a forensic scientist and one of the core characters of the show, which revolves ...

, while the second season stars

Marg Helgenberger Mary Marg 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. She is ...

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 first-season episode "Pilot". H ...

, reprising their roles from ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.''

Paula Newsome Paula Newsome is an American actress. In 2021, she appeared in the crime television series '' CSI: Vegas'', as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe film '' Spider-Man: No Way Home''. Early life Newsome grew up in Chicago and is a graduate of Mo ...

Matt Lauria Matthew Lauria (born August 16, 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 ...

Mel Rodriguez Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor, 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 Gomes on the S ...

, and

Mandeep Dhillon Mandeep Dhillon (born 21 December 1990) is a British actress who has appeared in stage, television, film and radio productions, including the BBC Three comedy series ''Some Girls'' and '' Fried''. She featured in the British romantic comedy '' ...

portray new characters.

Wallace Langham James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best 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 '' ...

Paul Guilfoyle Paul Vincent Guilfoyle () (born April 28, 1949) is an American television and film 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 return ...

and

Eric Szmanda Eric Kyle Szmanda (; born July 24, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for having played Greg Sanders in the CBS police drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', a role he held from the show's beginning in 2000 until it ended in 2015. E ...

also reprise their roles as

David Hodges David Hall 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 2000–2002. He has since had success co-writing and co–produci ...

Jim Brass James Brass is a fictional character portrayed by Paul Guilfoyle on the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel ''CSI: Vegas''. He made his first screen appearance in the show's Pilot (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), pi ...

and

Greg Sanders Gregory Hojem Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Eric Szmanda on the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Greg appeared in every episode of the original ''CSI'', with the exception of "C ...

, 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 w ...

limited series, it 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.

Cast

Main

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

as Joshua "Josh" Folsom, a Level III CSI who is typically the lead investigator on cases *

as Ahalya "Allie" Rajan, a Level II CSI who is an immigrant who followed her dreams to Las Vegas *

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

(season 1) *

(season 1) * Ariana Guerra as Serena Chavez (season 2), a homicide detective * Jay Lee as Christopher "Chris" Park (season 2; recurring season 1), a Level I CSI *

Lex Medlin Lex Medlin (born March 30, 1969) is an American actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of television commercials and sitcoms. A star of the 2006 Fox TV sitcom '' Happy Hour'', he is noted for his droll facial expressions and anything-for-a-lau ...

as Beau Finado (season 2), a Level I CSI *

(season 2)

Recurring

(season 1) *

(season 1) * Chelsey Crisp as Emma Hodges (season 1), David's wife *

Jamie McShane Jamie McShane is an American actor best known for his roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'', ''Southland'', and ''Bloodline'', and as Agent Jackson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films ''Thor'' (2011) and '' The Avengers'' (2012). In 2021, he appe ...

as Anson Wix (season 1), a corrupt civil attorney *

Sarah Gilman Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pi ...

as Penelope "Penny" Gill, a CSI * Sean James as Will Carson, a homicide detective *

Kat Foster Kat Foster is an American actress known for her role as Steph Woodcock on Til Death''. Early life and education Foster was born in Oakland, California and graduated from The College Preparatory School. A classically-trained dramatic actress, ...

as Nora Cross, an Internal Affairs detective *

Robert Curtis Brown Robert Curtis Brown (born Robert Nelson Brown, April 27, 1957) is an American television, film, and stage actor. Early life Brown was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Yardley, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mid ...

as Undersheriff Cade Wyatt * Sara Amini as Sonya Nikolayevich, chief medical examiner (season 2) * Joel Johnstone as Jack Nikolayevich, assistant medical examiner and Sonya's older brother (season 2) *

Sherri Saum Sherri Michelle Saum (born October 1, 1974) is an American actress. Saum is best known for her co-lead role as Lena Adams Foster in the Freeform drama series '' The Fosters'' (2013–2018) as well as a subsequent guest star role in its spinoff ...

as Jodi Wallach (season 2) *

Katie Stevens Katherine Mari Stevens (born December 8, 1992) is an American actress and singer, known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starring as Karma Ashcroft in '' Faking It'' and Jane Sloan in ''The Bold Type' ...

as Lindsey Willows (season 2) *

(season 2)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2022–23)

Production

Development

Following the airing of the

finale Finale may refer to: Pieces of music * Finale (music), the last movement of a piece * ''Finale'' (album), a 1977 album by Loggins and Messina * "Finale B", a 1996 song from the rock opera ''Rent'' * "Finale", a song by Anthrax from ''State of Eu ...

of ''

'', in 2015, series creator

Anthony E. Zuiker Anthony E. Zuiker (pronounced ; born August 17, 1968) is an American television writer, television producer, and author. He is best known as the creator of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He produced all four editions of the ''CSI'' franc ...

said the future of the characters would be that " Grissom and

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

... ould still besailing the oceans, ... saving the environment, ...

ould have Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...

children, and they would dedicate their lives to the betterment of humanity. ...

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

would still be running the crime lab, ...

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

] 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 Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

, '' 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 CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...

, and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, with Tracey,

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television Film producer, producer. He has been active in the genres of Action film, action, Drama film, drama, Fantasy film, fantasy, and Science fiction film, science fi ...

, 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 V ...

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 was exposed to film at an early age ...

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. He currently serves as the President of CBS Entertainment. Early life and education Kelly Kahl was born in Burlington, Wisconsin to Ronald and Barbara ...

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,

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.

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

. 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

, and

had been cast in the series. Lauria and Rodriguez both previously guest-starred as different characters in the

. It was also revealed that Petersen and Fox were finalizing their deals. On March 31, 2021, it was announced that

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

had been cast in a recurring role and that

would reprise his role as

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

will 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

and Ariana Guerra would join the cast as regulars. On December 15, 2022, it was reported that

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 a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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 ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. 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. The first season was premiered on

Alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...

in July 2022, with the second season premiering in December 2022 in the United Kingdom. *Asia ,

AXN AXN is a pay television channel owned 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. Funded th ...

Home media

The first season was released on Region 1 DVD and Blu-Ray Region A on April 5, 2022, followed by Region 2 DVD on November 14, 2022.

Reception

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

References

External links

* * {{CSI franchise 2020s American crime drama television series 2020s American police procedural television series 2021 American television series debuts American sequel television series CBS original programming CSI (franchise) 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