"Immortality" is the two-hour series finale of ''
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 ...
'' that aired on September 27, 2015, 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 Entertainm ...
.
Plot
When a
suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
detonates his vest on the floor of the Eclipse casino, Catherine Willows, the FBI special agent returns from Los Angeles to join the investigation. Gil Grissom, meanwhile, working to preserve sharks in international waters, is arrested for trespassing at the
Port of San Diego
The Port of San Diego is a seaport in San Diego, California. It is located on San Diego Bay in southwestern San Diego County, California, and is a self-supporting district established in 1962 by an act of the California State Legislature. In add ...
, and D.B. Russell offers Sara Sidle the chance to supervise the local investigation into the bombing. Sidle, who is vying for the position of director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, is initially irked when Sheriff Conrad Ecklie inquires about Grissom's location when "Lady" Heather Kessler is linked to the crime. Ecklie ensures Grissom is released from custody, and Willows and he, alongside Eclipse security officer Jim Brass, assist in locating the suspect.
As the team works to restore safety to the streets of Las Vegas, Russell decides it is time for him to "head East" and pursue new challenges, while he places a plaque, dedicated to the memory of Julie Finlay, alongside his personal possessions. Willows expresses an interest in leaving the FBI and working alongside her daughter Lindsey in the Las Vegas Crime Lab, noting that, should Sidle reject the promotion she is going to be offered, Willows will accept it in lieu of her former colleague. The series ends with the newly promoted Sidle, upon hearing a recording of Grissom confessing his love for her, sailing from the Port of San Diego with Grissom.
Deleted scenes
Off-screen, Sidle resigns, and Willows is hired as lab director. Scenes were filmed to explicitly depict the transition, although they were cut from the aired episode. A second scene, featuring Willows and her daughter, was also deleted; in it, Willows informs Lindsey that she should only resign if she does not feel like "King Kong on cocaine" following her first arrest. She then informs Lindsey that Holly Gribbs was killed in the line of duty. A third deleted scene shows Russell visiting Finlay's grave.
Cast
Production
The finale was shot over 17 days.
[ "Day 10 of 17. Ballin'!!! Stay tuned for more set pics."] Filming for the principal cast began on July 29, 2015,
[ "It begins... The first day of shooting for the CSI finale. Stay tuned!"] and production wrapped on August 21, 2015. The finale was filmed with the option to be broadcast as two episodes under the titles "Immortality Part I" and "Immortality Part II", respectively. The production codes for the episodes are 1601 and 1602.
Casting
During the CBS 2015
Upfront
''UpFront'' is a current affairs discussion, debate and analysis programme on Al Jazeera English. The show premiered on 4 September 2015 shortly after Al Jazeera moved into their new Washington D.C. hub. The show has a politics focus although othe ...
,
Les Moonves
Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...
and
Nina Tassler
Nina Tassler is an American television executive and producer. She was most recently the chairwoman of CBS Entertainment until 2015.
Life and career
Tassler was born in New York City to a Jewish father and a Puerto Rican mother who converted t ...
announced that former lead actors Marg Helgenberger and William Petersen would reprise their roles as Catherine Willows and Gil Grissom, respectively.
[Andreeva, Nellie (May 13, 2015)]
"''CSI'' 2-Hour Finale Set With William Petersen, Ted Danson To Join ''CSI: Cyber''"
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
. Retrieved July 28, 2015. Ted Danson, who starred in the series since the beginning of the 12th season, also returned as D.B. Russell.
On July 24, 2015, it was confirmed that both
George Eads
George Eads is an American actor, known for his role as Nick Stokes on the CBS police drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He later starred as Jack Dalton on the CBS action-adventure series ''MacGyver'' for three seasons.
Biography
Earl ...
, who played
Nick Stokes
Nicholas "Nick" Stokes is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', portrayed by George Eads. He made his first screen appearance in the show's pilot, broadcast on October 6, 2000, and departed the serie ...
for 15 seasons, and
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), '' Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' B ...
, who played the lead role of
Julie Finlay for four seasons, had declined options to return. Elisabeth Harnois, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, David Berman, and Jon Wellner all reprised their roles, as did Paul Guilfoyle.
Melinda Clarke, who appeared as Lady Heather Kessler, a long-time friend of Grissom, also returned.
[Upadhyaya, Ruchinka (July 24, 2015)]
"''CSI'' finale will feature a 'pivotal death'; find out which original character will return in two-hour episode"
''International Business Times
The ''International Business Times'' is an American online news publication that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on busi ...
''. Retrieved July 28, 2015. 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' ...
was cast as Lindsey Willows, Catherine's daughter, a CSI level 1. Recurring guest star
Marc Vann
Marc Vann (born August 23, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Conrad Ecklie in the CBS television series '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He also had notable roles in ''Angel'' and ''Early Edition''.
Vann was born in N ...
also returned as Sheriff Conrad Ecklie, as did Larry Mitchell as Officer Mitchell.
Production credits
The episodes were directed by Louis Shaw Milito, and written by series creator Anthony E. Zuiker. William Petersen assisted in the breaking of the story. Like the series, the finale used "
Who Are You
''Who Are You'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a ...
" by
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
as the opening and closing theme. Executive producers included
Ann Donahue
Ann Donahue is a prominent television writer. She along with Carol Mendelsohn and Anthony E. Zuiker created the successful ''CSI'' franchise which includes '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' CSI: Miami'', '' CSI: NY'', and '' CSI: Cyber ...
,
Carol Mendelsohn
Carol Mendelsohn (born 1951) is an American television producer, showrunner, and screenwriter, known for her work on the crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''.
Education
Mendelsohn grew up in Chicago, where her father was an attorney. ...
, Anthony E. Zuiker,
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 ...
, William Petersen, and Cynthia Chvatal. The episodes were produced by CBS Television Studios, distributed by
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glob ...
, and broadcast 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 Entertainm ...
. The film's run-time was 88 minutes.
Continuation
Following the end of the series, Ted Danson joined the cast of ''
CSI: Cyber'' in his role as D.B. Russell. This relocation was alluded to in the movie, with Russell announcing his intention to "head east". Elisabeth Shue's Julie Finlay was featured prominently in archive footage during the ''Cyber'' episode "Hack ER".
Ratings
The episode received 12.22 million viewers and an 18–49 rating of 1.8.
Reception
Upon reviewing the series finale, Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV named the episodes "the perfect send-off for such an epic show".
He later called the episode a "dream come true" for fans of the series with the reunion of Gil, Catherine and Sara.
References
{{CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2015 television films
2015 American television episodes
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episodes
Films set in the Las Vegas Valley
American television series finales
Fictional portrayals of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department