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''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') 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 ...
television 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 ...
from September 23, 2002, to April 8, 2012. Featuring
David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series '' CSI: ...
as Lieutenant
Horatio Caine Horatio "H" Caine is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American crime drama '' CSI: Miami'', portrayed by David Caruso from 2002 to 2012. He is the head of the crime lab, under the rank of Lieutenant of the Miami-Dade Police Dep ...
,
Emily Procter Emily Procter (born October 8, 1968) is an American actress and activist. She played Ainsley Hayes in the NBC political drama ''The West Wing'' (2000–2002; 2006) and Det. Calleigh Duquesne in the CBS police procedural drama '' CSI: Miami'' ...
as Detective Calleigh Duquesne, and Adam Rodriguez as Detective
Eric Delko The following is a list of characters from the CBS crime drama television series, '' CSI: Miami''. It follows Miami criminalists (identified as "the Crime Scene Investigators") working for the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) as they use phys ...
, the series is the first direct
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', "transplanting the same template and trickery—gory crimes, procedural plot and dazzling graphics—into new citywhile retaining the essence of the original idea". ''CSI: Miami'' was executive produced by Carol Mendelsohn, Anthony E. Zuiker, and Ann Donahue, with the latter acting as show-runner. The series ended on April 8, 2012, after 10 seasons and 232 episodes. Following the series finale, Nina Tassler credited ''CSI: Miami'' as a "key player in CBS's rise to the top", stating that the series "leaves an amazing television legacy—a signature look and style ndglobal popularity". In 2006,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
published an article stating that ''CSI: Miami'' was the world's most popular television series, featuring in more countries' top ten rankings for 2005 than any other series. On May 8, 2024, CBS announced that the series would be revived as a true-crime series known as '' The Real CSI: Miami'', which premiered in June 2024. David Caruso is the only actor to appear in all 232 episodes of the television series.


Premise

''CSI: Miami'' follows a group of detectives assigned to the
Miami-Dade Police Department The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), formerly known as the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981), Metro-Dade Police Department (1981–1997), and Miami-Dade Police Department (1997� ...
(MDPD for short)'s Crime Scene Investigations (CSI for short) Unit, an elite unit operating out of the (fictional) "Miami Dade police headquarters, with its eerie blue light and flickering screens". The team is led by Lieutenant Horatio Caine (
David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series '' CSI: ...
), who, through his history as a bomb-disposal expert, has gained specialized knowledge in explosive forensics. Horatio believes that "evil ''is''" and lives "between the perpetrators of this evil and the people who try and come between that evil and the citizen". In his pursuit of justice, he has proven that "he can handle himself on the street and he's not a person to be messed with". ''
The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...
'' has described Caine as an amalgam of "the spirits of all the laconic American law men who preceded him", while the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' describes Caine's partner Detective Calleigh Duquesne (
Emily Procter Emily Procter (born October 8, 1968) is an American actress and activist. She played Ainsley Hayes in the NBC political drama ''The West Wing'' (2000–2002; 2006) and Det. Calleigh Duquesne in the CBS police procedural drama '' CSI: Miami'' ...
) as "a bilingual Southern beauty with a specialty in ballistics". Together, Caine and Duquesne head a team of forensic investigators that includes Lieutenant Megan Donner (
Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of ...
), conceived as "a strong woman ho couldduplicate the chemistry that Caruso displayed with Marg Helgenberger" during "
Cross Jurisdictions "Cross Jurisdictions" is the twenty-second episode of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 2), second season of the United States, American crime drama television series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', which is set in Las Vegas, Nevad ...
", Detective Eric Delko ( Adam Rodriguez), an underwater recovery expert, Walter Simmons ( Omar Miller), a detective who forces the "CSIs to do more science and research instead of relying on databases", Los Angeles Police transfer Jesse Cardoza (
Eddie Cibrian Edward Carl Cibrian ( ; born June 16, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Cole Deschanel on the television series ''Sunset Beach (TV series), Sunset Beach'' and List of Third Watch characters#James 'Jimmy' Doherty, Jimmy ...
), former
FBI agent The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
Natalia Boa Vista (
Eva LaRue Eva Maria LaRue (; born December 27, 1966) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Maria Santos (All My Children), Maria Santos on ''All My Children'' and Det. Natalia Boa Vista on ''CSI: Miami''. Early life LaRue was b ...
), and Ryan Wolfe (
Jonathan Togo Jonathan Frederick Togo (born August 25, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role in ''CSI: Miami'' as Ryan Wolfe (CSI: Miami), Ryan Wolfe. Early life Togo was born in Rockland, Massachusetts, Rockland, Massachusetts, the son of Sheil ...
), a master of genetics recruited following the death of Detective Timothy Speedle (
Rory Cochrane Rory Cochrane (born February 28, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for playing Ron Slater in '' Dazed and Confused'', Lucas in ''Empire Records'', Lee Schatz in '' Argo'', Freck in '' A Scanner Darkly'', and Tim Speedle in '' CSI: Miami''. ...
). The team are assisted by Medical Examiner Alexx Woods (
Khandi Alexander Harriet Rene "Khandi" Alexander (born September 4, 1957) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. She began her career as a dancer in the 1980s, and was a choreographer for Whitney Houston's world tours from 1988 to 1992. During the 19 ...
), who began her career as a medical Examiner in New York, and her replacement Tara Price ( Megalyn Echikunwoke), Miami Dade Police Sergeant Frank Tripp (
Rex Linn Rex Maynard Linn (born November 13, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known domestically for playing the role of Sgt. Frank Tripp in the CBS drama '' CSI: Miami'' and more recently for playing Kevin Wachtell in the television series ''Bet ...
), and Horatio's sister-in-law, Detective Yelina Salas ( Sofia Milos). During their investigations, the team cooperate with both allies and nemeses, including Internal Affairs Lieutenant Rick Stetler (
David Lee Smith David Lee Smith (born September 8, 1963) is an American actor, known for his role as John Oldman, the protagonist of the 2007 science fiction film, ''The Man from Earth'' and its 2017 sequel, '' The Man from Earth: Holocene;'' he co-starred with ...
), States Attorney Rebecca Nevins (
Christina Chang Christina Chang () is an American actress, who has appeared in '' 24'', '' CSI: Miami'', ''Nashville'', and '' The Good Doctor''. Early life Chang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, to a Taiwanese-Filipino father and an American mother. ...
), Medical Examiner Tom Loman ( Christian Clemenson), and newly minted detective Sam Owens (
Taylor Cole Taylor Cole (born April 29, 1984) is an American actress and former Model (person), fashion model. Early life and modeling Cole was born in Arlington, Texas. She attended Lamar High School (Arlington, Texas), Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, whe ...
).


Production


Concept and development

On April 17, 2002,
CBS Television 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 ...
announced plans to launch a series originally titled ''CSI: Miami-Dade'', a spin-off to the hit procedural ''CSI''. On the location choice, co-creator Carol Mendelsohn stated that " he, Anthony E. Zuiker, and Ann Donahuefelt Miami was the most happening place ..Miami is so rich as a character. There is so much water. There are so many different cultures here all colliding. Its politics are so interesting. All that gives Miami an edge." CBS ordered 22 episodes of the series, with Anthony Zuiker stating that whilst he intended for the series to look "ridiculously gorgeous", he felt that the "show asnot about women walking around in bikinis. It's about science." The series was launched as a second-season episode of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', and originally featured a cast led by Caruso, Procter, Rodriguez, Alexander, with Cochrane. Delaney joined the series following the pilot episode's broadcast. The series is executive produced by creators Carol Mendelsohn, Anthony E. Zuiker, and Ann Donahue, with Ann Donahue acting as show-runner.
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 ...
also executive-produces the series. ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' stars
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
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 ...
expressed their displeasure at CBS' launch of ''Miami'', with Petersen stating that " heyshould have waited five years for a ''CSI'' spinoff." Helgenberger supported Petersen's comments during an Emmy acceptance speech, noting that "as far as he wasconcerned, there's only one ''CSI''." Petersen jestingly referred to the series ''NYPDCSI'', as it initially featured both Caruso and Delaney, of ''
NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...
'' fame.


Casting

In 2002, ''CSI'' executive producer Anthony Zuiker began casting for the then-unnamed Miami based spin-off. First cast was Procter, as Calleigh Duquesne. Regarding her decision to leave ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' and join ''Miami'', Procter stated that "It was like choosing between a boyfriend that wants to be with you casually or a man that says I love you." She described her character as "a weird girl ..bright and very nerdy. She wears a lot of boot-cut corduroy pants and turquoise necklaces and looks like a hippie. I just like to pretend I'm Velma in Scooby-Doo." Rodriguez, Cochrane, and Alexander were cast alongside Procter, completing the supporting ensemble. For the lead,
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 ...
suggested Caruso. Zuiker, who stated that he had "heard about the NYPD Blue thing", was initially hesitant. Elaborating, Zuiker stated that he "sort of jumped in and said, 'Naw, I don't know about this guy. The show's tough enough to get off the ground and I don't want to walk into any problems." CBS president Les Moonves had announced in January that a Miami spin-off was imminent, yet "It wasn't until we sort of, like, at the eleventh hour, really started to look at our options as to who was going to play Horatio, uiker, Mendelsohn, and Donahuerevisited Caruso. And heysaid, 'Yeah, we'll have him come out for dinner, see what he's about.'" Caruso was later cast as Caine. He was the last pilot cast member to be contracted to series. Following the back-door pilot, Zuiker stated that he believed the series "needed a little more balance in terms of a leading woman". Executives offered
Sela Ward Sela Ann Ward (born July 11, 1956) is an American actress. Her breakthrough TV role was as Teddy Reed in the NBC drama series ''Sisters'' (1991–96), for which she received her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama ...
the part of Megan Donner, a lieutenant and Horatio's former boss. Ward turned down the role, and producers later cast Delaney (Ward would later take a role in the subsequent spin-off '' CSI: NY''). Ann Donahue described Delaney's casting as "a no-brainer", stating that "when Kim became available, we knew in a heartbeat that we wanted her." Zuiker elaborated, noting that "Kim brings a level of maturity, a level of balance with David Caruso ..We just felt we were missing something in the whole picture – we needed a strong female in the cast." ''The New York Times'' reported that original lead Procter would "now follow Ms. Delaney in the credits." In late 2002, despite receiving excellent feedback from producers, Delaney departed the cast after ten episodes. CBS issued a statement noting that Delaney's character had become less integral to the series as it progressed, "they had hoped to duplicate the sparks between William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger on the original CSI," noted EW, but Delaney and Caruso's chemistry was lackluster. Delaney's departure allowed for "younger Emily Procter's profile" to be raised to that of "leading female". Sofia Milos was cast in a recurring role to "fill the void" supposed to have been created by Delaney's departure. In season three, Milos was promoted to series regular.
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
reported that Milos would depart after one season as a main cast member. Also in the third season, Jonathan Togo was cast as Ryan Wolfe, a character created to replace an unnamed "member of the CSI team" expected to "die in the line of duty". This cast member was later announced as Rory Cochrane. On April 10, 2006, Ann Donahue announced that recurring cast members Rex Linn and Eva LaRue were also joining the main cast, after recurring since season one, and season four, respectively. The fourth main cast member to depart the series was Khandi Alexander, in the series' sixth season. Alexander was replaced by Megalyn Echikunwoke, who departed after a single season. Adam Rodriguez departed in season eight, though he returned in season nine. During Rodriguez's temporary departure, Eddie Cibrian appeared as a series regular, though in June 2010 he was let go from his contract. Omar Miller also joined the cast in season eight.


Locations

''CSI: Miami'' was filmed primarily in California. Indoor scenes were shot at Raleigh Manhattan Studios in Manhattan Beach,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Most outdoor scenes were filmed in
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, as well as portions of Manhattan Beach and
Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Santa Mo ...
. Beach areas of Marina Green Park and Rainbow Lagoon Park in downtown Long Beach were often used for other outdoor scenes, as the newly constructed high-rise condos there gave the appearance of being in Miami. The sculptured walkway paying tribute to the old Pike Roller Coaster can be seen in the background in the episodes "Wrecking Crew" and "Under The Influence". Footage from the Biscayne Courthouse, visible prominently in the episode "Recoil", among others, was filmed at the Water Garden Park in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, at 34.028728, −118.471331. Other locations around Long Beach are used, such as the Naples district, whose canals and upscale homes featuring large boat docks and palm trees impart a Miami-like atmosphere. The building used for exterior shots of the
Miami-Dade Police Department The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), formerly known as the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981), Metro-Dade Police Department (1981–1997), and Miami-Dade Police Department (1997� ...
crime lab is actually the
SkyOne Federal Credit Union SkyOne Federal Credit Union is an American credit union that focuses on employees working in the aeronautics and space sector and their relatives. The credit union is headquartered in Hawthorne, California and is federally insured by the National ...
headquarters located at 14600 Aviation Boulevard in
Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...
. Many outdoor location shots were also filmed in
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, including
Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...
,
Coral Gables Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Cora ...
, and
Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...
.


Music

''CSI: Miamis main theme is "
Won't Get Fooled Again "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute ver ...
", written and performed by
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
, who also perform the theme songs of ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''CSI: NY'', ''CSI: Cyber'' and ''CSI: Vegas''. Prior to the opening credits, Horatio Caine delivers a "one-liner", or witticism, relating to the crime committed.


Cancellation

On February 1, 2012, CBS announced that the 10th season of ''CSI: Miami'' would have its episode order reduced to 19 episodes, in order to make room on the schedule for
mid-season replacement In American network television scheduling, a mid-season replacement is a television show that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between December and May. Mid-season replacements usually take place after ...
''
NYC 22 ''NYC 22'' (pronounced NYC 2-2) is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on CBS from April 15 to August 11, 2012, as a mid-season replacement for '' CSI: Miami''. On August 29, 2012, CBS canceled the series after one ...
''. On May 13, 2012, both series were canceled. Procter later stated that "the cancellation was kind of shocking for everyone because they had given an indication that '' CSI: NY'' might go, so people would have been prepared and we just weren't prepared." Procter had previously commented on the longevity of the series, commenting that "I remember sitting around with David in the parking lot during season one, getting ready for the first episode to air. We said ..'we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. For better or worse.'" Eva LaRue later echoed Procter's sentiments, stating that she "was sad because we did not get a chance to say goodbye to the fans or to each other". CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler issued a statement noting that "when the slightly different budgets and ratings concerns for the ''CSI'' spin-offs were factored in, there was no distinction — at least in terms of numbers. They were very close, looking at them forensically, they were very close. It was an indiscernible difference . . . it was just a matter of looking at the schedule and what looked better". "In the end, ''NY'' won that particular duel simply because it features
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, which helped CBS create a Friday night NYC-fest".


Cast and characters


Main

*
David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series '' CSI: ...
as Horatio "H" Caine; the "iconic" director of the Miami Dade Crime Lab and a police lieutenant. Rising through the ranks as a bomb squad technician, Caine is an expert in explosive forensics and is incredibly protective of his team. He often goes to extraordinary lengths to save evidence or a potential victim. Throughout the course of the series, he becomes more jaded and less ethical, developing a far more serious, direct, and to-the-point attitude, though he maintains his ability to communicate well with children who have suffered traumatic ordeals. He is also a skilled marksman. *
Emily Procter Emily Procter (born October 8, 1968) is an American actress and activist. She played Ainsley Hayes in the NBC political drama ''The West Wing'' (2000–2002; 2006) and Det. Calleigh Duquesne in the CBS police procedural drama '' CSI: Miami'' ...
as Calleigh Duquesne; a CSI Level 3 and Horatio's Assistant Supervisor. Duquesne is a veteran MDPD Detective and the longest serving member of the crime lab. She is a ballistics specialist. Her slight build, blonde hair, and Southern belle accent often lead others to underestimate her, but she is a brilliant and a dedicated scientist. She develops a romantic relationship with fellow CSI Eric Delko, and, in the show's final season, adopts two children. * Adam Rodriguez as Eric Delko; a fingerprint and drug expert of Cuban and Russian descent. Detective Delko first encountered the CSI team whilst working as a tow-truck driver. Caine persuaded him to join the MDPD, and the two became good friends. Eric has three sisters. One of them, Marisol, married Caine and was killed at the end of season 4. Because of this he builds strong bonds where he works, developing a strong friendship with Tim Speedle, and a romantic interest in Calleigh. (seasons 1–8, 9–10; recurring: season 8) *
Khandi Alexander Harriet Rene "Khandi" Alexander (born September 4, 1957) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. She began her career as a dancer in the 1980s, and was a choreographer for Whitney Houston's world tours from 1988 to 1992. During the 19 ...
as Alexx Woods; a medical examiner for Miami Dade County. Alexx began her medical career in New York as a physician and became a medical examiner with the CSI team after moving to Miami for personal reasons. She is a very emotional person, and is more of a "mother" figure for the CSI team, showing great concern for them. She also often talks to the dead bodies. Alexx eventually leaves CSI in order to spend more time with the living. (seasons 1–6; guest star: seasons 7–8) *
Rory Cochrane Rory Cochrane (born February 28, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for playing Ron Slater in '' Dazed and Confused'', Lucas in ''Empire Records'', Lee Schatz in '' Argo'', Freck in '' A Scanner Darkly'', and Tim Speedle in '' CSI: Miami''. ...
as Tim Speedle, known affectionately as "Speed"; a trace evidence and impressions expert from Syracuse, New York. He worked for the St. Petersburg PD in 1997, and had a degree in
biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Speed joined the team at the recommendation of Jesse Cardoza, and became an invaluable asset. Speed often failed to comply to departmental standards, however, and was killed as a result of his unclean weapon misfiring. (seasons 1–3; guest star: season 6) *
Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of ...
as Megan Donner; Horatio's first partner and a respected MDPD Police Lieutenant. She was the director of the MDPD Crime Lab prior to taking indefinite leave due to the death of her husband, who was killed in the line of duty. She believes in following the evidence, and as such is often seen as adversarial to Horatio's go-with-the-gut detective style. As a result of this, Megan resigns, finding the pressure of the job to now be more than she could handle. (season 1) * Sofia Milos as Yelina Salas; a Colombian homicide detective frequently attached to CSI investigations, and the widow of Horatio's brother Raymond Caine. She later starts a relationship with IAB Sergeant Rick Stetler. Yelina leaves the team and moves to Rio with her family, although she later returns to Miami as a private investigator. (recurring: seasons 1–2; season 3; guest star: seasons 5–7) *
Jonathan Togo Jonathan Frederick Togo (born August 25, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role in ''CSI: Miami'' as Ryan Wolfe (CSI: Miami), Ryan Wolfe. Early life Togo was born in Rockland, Massachusetts, Rockland, Massachusetts, the son of Sheil ...
as Ryan Wolfe; a Detective attached to Horatio's team. Ryan was working as a police officer at the time he was hired for the lab by Caine, who noted Ryan's immaculate care of his gun, likely due to Wolfe having OCD. Ryan was replacing fallen CSI
Tim Speedle The following is a list of characters from the CBS crime drama television series, '' CSI: Miami''. It follows Miami criminalists (identified as "the Crime Scene Investigators") working for the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) as they use phys ...
, who died in the line of duty as a direct result of his poor gun maintenance. The team, and Eric in particular, are hostile to Ryan at first, though they later warm to him. (seasons 3–10; recurring: season 3) *
Rex Linn Rex Maynard Linn (born November 13, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known domestically for playing the role of Sgt. Frank Tripp in the CBS drama '' CSI: Miami'' and more recently for playing Kevin Wachtell in the television series ''Bet ...
as Frank Tripp; a Texas-born homicide detective who accompanies the team to the crime scenes. He is known for interrogating suspects in his typical sarcastic manner and has a good working relationship with all the CSIs. He is divorced with three kids, and has known Horatio since at least 1997. Over the course of the series, he is promoted to sergeant, taking on a more prominent role within the MDPD, and spending a short time in uniform. (recurring: seasons 1–4; seasons 5–10) *
Eva LaRue Eva Maria LaRue (; born December 27, 1966) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Maria Santos (All My Children), Maria Santos on ''All My Children'' and Det. Natalia Boa Vista on ''CSI: Miami''. Early life LaRue was b ...
as Natalia Boa Vista; an MDPD Detective and DNA specialist hired by Caine. Upon her arrival, she was only allowed to work on cold or unsolved cases due to the restrictions of her federal grant, although it is later revealed she is in fact an FBI Special Agent working undercover. She later applies to join the team permanently, much to the initial chagrin of Delko and Wolfe. She was a victim of domestic abuse during her marriage. (recurring: season 4; seasons 5–10) * Megalyn Echikunwoke as Tara Price; the day-shift
medical examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology and investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdicti ...
who replaces Alexx following her departure. She is initially well received by the team, until she is shown to steal a bottle of
Oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under the brand name Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended-release form) among others, is a semi-synthetic opioid used medically for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and is a commonly ...
(an opioid analgesic medication) from a victim in the morgue. Ryan Wolfe confronts Tara about the stolen pills in her locker, and she is later arrested and dismissed from the team. Tara is replaced shortly thereafter by Dr. Tom Loman. (season 7; recurring: season 7) *
Eddie Cibrian Edward Carl Cibrian ( ; born June 16, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Cole Deschanel on the television series ''Sunset Beach (TV series), Sunset Beach'' and List of Third Watch characters#James 'Jimmy' Doherty, Jimmy ...
as Jesse Cardoza; an MDPD Detective who worked with Horatio and Megan prior to the formation of the CSI team. He returns to Miami following a stint as a
LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
officer in order to track the man who murdered his wife. Cardoza builds strong friendships within the team but is killed in the line of duty during a halon attack on the lab. Walter is particularly hurt by his loss. (season 8; guest star: season 9) * Omar Benson Miller as Walter Simmons; "a Louisiana native and
art theft Art theft, sometimes called art napping, is the stealing of paintings, sculptures, or other forms of visual art from galleries, museums or other public and private locations. Stolen art is often resold or used by criminals as collateral to ...
specialist who transfers over from the night-shift to join Horatio's team". Simmons' large build is often intimidating to suspects. However, he is shown to be one of the most caring and compassionate members of the team. He is extremely close to both Ryan and Jesse, and develops a friendship with LVPD CSI
Raymond Langston '' 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 ...
. (seasons 8–10; recurring: season 8)


Recurring

* Holt McCallany as John Hagen; a MPD Homicide Detective who had emotional and psychological problems. He was the partner of Caine's presumed-dead brother. Hagen kills himself in front of Calleigh. (seasons 1–3) *
Boti Bliss Boti Ann Bliss ( ; born October 23, 1975) is an American film and television actress. Notable roles include her semi-recurring role as Maxine Valera in the television crime drama ''CSI: Miami''. Her other roles include the 2002 film ''Ted Bundy ...
as Maxine Valera; a DNA technician who works on Caine's team. She is incredibly capable but has an unfortunate habit of taking shortcuts whilst processing evidence. (seasons 2–8) * Johnny Whitworth as Jake Berkeley; originally an MDPD Narcotics Detective, Jake transfers to Homicide following a stint in undercover. He and Calleigh were in a relationship in the academy, and later rekindle this. (seasons 5–8) * Christian Clemenson as Tom Loman: Miami's newest medical examiner and the second replacement for Dr. Alexx Woods. Loman is socially awkward but invaluable to the team, developing strong bonds throughout his tenure. (seasons 8–10) *
Taylor Cole Taylor Cole (born April 29, 1984) is an American actress and former Model (person), fashion model. Early life and modeling Cole was born in Arlington, Texas. She attended Lamar High School (Arlington, Texas), Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, whe ...
as Samantha Owens; an MDPD Detective who is assigned to Horatio's CSI team. Formerly a lab technician, Owens develops a flirtatious relationship with Wolfe. (season 10)


Episodes


Crossover with ''CSI: NY''

On Monday November 7, 2005, and Wednesday November 9, 2005, CBS aired the first crossover within the ''CSI'' franchise, with a ''CSI: Miami'' episode titled "Felony Flight", and a ''CSI: NY'' episode titled "Manhattan Manhunt". The episodes see an escaped prisoner embark on a killing "spree that, quite naturally, brings together Lt. Horatio Caine and his team and Detective Mac Taylor (of '' CSI: NY'') and his team, a spree that eventually mounts to 13 bodies in the two episodes." Anthony Zuiker described the event as "virtually a movie", while ''CSI: Miami'' show-runner Ann Donahue stated that, despite a crossover being planned earlier, she had "held off on this because hewanted to wait until 'New York' had distinguished itself" from its predecessors. Zuiker noted that as well as being a "tremendous treat for viewers", the crossover would provide "a chance to sample other ''CSI'' shows and casts and mysteries on other nights", particularly due to the "complete visual makeover" undertaken during ''CSI: NY'' second season, "in terms of the lighting style, the colors, and the new labs." He also described the crossover as " the event that the franchise needed at this point, not only for ''CSI: NY'', but orthe viewers. And it's, I feel, some of our best work if not the best."


Crossover with ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''

In 2005, prior to the airing of "Felony Flight", Ann Donahue stated that "you never know" when a three-way crossover will be produced, with Zuiker stating that "the beauty of this franchise is it's very interchangeable in terms of how crossover combinations will work". In 2009, CBS commissioned a three-part crossover starring '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' star
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
, an event that ''EW'' dubbed the "Great CSI Crossover Experiment That William Petersen Never Would Have Agreed To". The ''Miami'' segment of the crossover, titled "Bone Voyage", aired on November 9, 2009.


Broadcast

The series was originally broadcast on CBS in the United States, airing on Mondays at 10/9 for the first eight seasons, then moving to Sundays at 10/9C for its final two seasons. CBS frequently repeats ''CSI: Miami'' on weekends during the ''Crimetime Saturday'' slot, while CBS also owns syndication rights to the series, with CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler stating that she intends to air ''CSI: Miami'' "in syndication for years to come". Similarly, ''CSI: Miami'' has been syndicated on
A&E Network A&E (an initialism of its original name, the Arts & Entertainment Network) is an American cable and satellite television network and the flagship property of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Walt Disney Company ...
since 2005, on late Sunday nights/Early Monday mornings at 11:00 PM. While on December 2, 2011,
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
acquired syndication rights of the series, and began airing the episodes on January 2, 2012. The show airs regularly at 5/4C on weekdays. In August 2012 WE tv started airing reruns of the show. Both A&E and
Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...
share the return rights to the crossover episodes (with '' CSI: NY''), '' Felony Flight'' and ''Manhattan Manhunt''. In Australia
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
aired new episodes of ''CSI: Miami'', and repeats were shown on satellite channel TVH!TS (formerly TV1).


Reception

The reviews for ''CSI: Miami'' received were generally positive, with the website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
giving the series a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. In 2002, Ann Hodges of ''
The Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' stated that "the clone could turn out to be better than the original", while Aaron Barnhart of ''
The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'' commented that ''CSI: Miami'' "just feels like the show ''CSI'' should have been all along". Tim Goodman noted that "There probably isn't a bigger slam-dunk victor on the fall schedule than ''CSI: Miami''," describing it as "on its own, a very fine show". Following the series finale, Nina Tassler credited ''CSI: Miami'' with being a "key player in CBS's rise to the top", stating that the series "leaves an amazing television legacy—a signature look and style ndglobal popularity".
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
described ''CSI: Miami'' as "one of TV's biggest hits". Brendan Bernhard of ''
The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...
'' stated that, with repeat viewing,
"Mr. Caruso's mannerisms become less annoying than soothing as they melt into all those hypnotic patterns of shadow and light, and your critical faculties melt along with them. It's like a real estate show with characters and a plot, and it can hook you. The pristine settings, the stunning aerial views of harbors and yachts, the gorgeous homes and burnished floors, and then . . . a flash of anger, a gush of blood. At which point, enter Miami-Dade Head Investigator, Lieutenant Horatio Caine, world's most popular cop. And not by chance, an American".
Tim Goodman stated that "Caruso reminds everyone why he's good on the small screen, as the confident, dispassionate and slightly cynical Horatio." Nina Tassler later credited Caruso for leading a talented cast for "ten outstanding seasons". Similarly, Goodman described Delaney's portrayal of Megan Donner as "edgy enough to keep up with aruso and the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' credits Delaney with leading a "strong cast" and a "slickly produced series". ''SF Gate'' commented that she should be credited for "saving fledglingnew series". In 2006,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
published an article stating that ''CSI: Miami'' was the world's most popular television series. The article cites a study, conducted by
Informa Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has offices in 30 countries and around 12,000 ...
and published by ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' magazine, that collected television viewing data in 20 countries, revealing that ''CSI: Miami'' was featured in more top-10 viewing charts than any other series. Adam Thomas, the media research manager responsible for the study, explained:
"The objective of our research was to find the most consistently successful programme worldwide in terms of attracting viewers. We were not therefore concerned with shows that performed extremely well in a relatively small number of markets. ''CSI: Miami'' was therefore named the most popular programme because it featured in more countries' top ten rankings for 2005 than any other".
Nearly all episodes of the series had a
cold open A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...
which ended with Caruso putting on sunglasses and making a quip or pun related to the newfound crime, before the show cut to the scream of "Yeah!" in "Won't Be Fooled Again" for the opening credits. This imagery became a common meme on the Internet, typically in response to a similar pun made on user forums.


Accolades


Awards


Nominations


Adaptations and spin-offs

Sunil Nayar, an executive producer of ''CSI: Miami'' has stated that "navigating a show like ''CSI: Miami'' is not unlike commanding a ship in a fleet. Its obligation to the bigger ''CSI'' franchise is almost like the obligation one feels towards one's siblings". Like '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''CSI: Miami'' has spawned a series of
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
s,
novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
s, and
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s based on the show. '' CSI'' has also been released as a series of mobile games. In 2007, CBS teamed up with game developer
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game company based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games for mobile devices, video game consoles, and ...
to bring ''CSI'' to mobile phones. The first of the series to be published was ''CSI: Miami''. The game features actual cast members such as Caine, Woods and Duquesne who are trying to solve a murder in South Beach with the player's assistance. The game is also available for download on various iPod devices.


''CSI: NY''

In December 2003, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' reported that "there are rumblings that co-creator Anthony Zuiker and company are planning a third franchise, to be set in New York City". In 2004, CBS commissioned the New York-set ''CSI'' series, starring Gary Sinise as a detective named Mac Taylor. Mac, a veteran officer "who lost his wife during the terror attacks on September 11", was expected to "make a guest appearance on ''CSI: Miami'' in May 2004. On March 23, 2004, Melina Kanakaredes was cast as Stella, "a crime scene unit detective". Kanakaredes was cast following her signing a talent deal with CBS in August 2003. The Futon Critic noted that Kanakaredes "was initially set up as the lead of the drama project ''I.C.E.'', about the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a wing of the Dept. of Homeland Security. With ''I.C.E.''s development stalled, Kanakaredes was free to join ''NY''. Vanessa Ferlito and Carmine Giovinazzo were also cast in lead roles. The pilot episode for ''CSI: NY'', titled " MIA/NYC NonStop" aired on May 17, 2004, and also featured
Hill Harper Frank Eugene "Hill" Harper (born May 17, 1966) is an American actor and political candidate, who is known for his roles as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in '' CSI: NY'', Agent Spelman Boyle in '' Limitless'', and Dr. Marcus Andrews in '' The Good Doctor'' ...
. On the aesthetic difference between ''CSI: Miami'' and ''CSI: NY'', senior writer Andrew Lipsitz stated that "all cities are fantasies, made up of the dreams of individual inhabitants. New York is its own fantasy—it's the great fantasy of anyone who came here from another country. It may or may not be more real, it may or may not be baked in the sun, but it's an amalgam of everyone's dreams." Anthony Zuiker also stated that, while "''Miami'' feature self-contained episodes that favor solving crimes over exploring characters' lives... ''NY''
ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...
be more character-driven". ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' later observed that "structurally, the ''CSI''s bear striking similarities. Each unit, which uses advanced forensic techniques to solve crimes, is headed by a veteran male, joined by a leading female", yet "climate offers variation. ''NY'' offers the prospect of frozen corpses."


References


External links

* {{Authority control CSI (franchise) television series 2000s American crime drama television series 2002 American television series debuts 2010s American crime drama television series 2012 American television series endings 2000s American mystery television series 2010s American mystery television series 2000s American police procedural television series 2010s American police procedural television series Channel 5 (British TV channel) television dramas American English-language television shows Fictional portrayals of the Miami-Dade Police Department Television series by Alliance Atlantis Television series by CBS Studios Television shows filmed in Florida Television shows set in Miami American television spinoffs Television series created by Anthony E. Zuiker Television series created by Carol Mendelsohn Television series created by Ann Donahue Television shows adapted into comics CBS crime dramas