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"C.S.I." redirects here. For other uses, see CSI.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (referred to as CSI, also known as CSI: Las Vegas) is an American crime drama television series, that premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is filmed primarily at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.

The series follows Las Vegas criminalists (identified as "Crime Scene Investigators") working for the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD) (instead of the actual title of "Crime Scene Analysts" and "Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department" (LVMPD))[1] as they use physical evidence to solve murders, which has inspired a host of other cop-show "procedurals". The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama. The network later added spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, both of which were canceled after ten and nine seasons respectively. On February 18, 2014, CBS also announced plans to launch another spin-off, this time based in Quantico, Virginia, called CSI: Cyber. The pilot aired on April 30, 2014 as an episode of CSI, called "Kitty".[2]

CSI has been recognized as the most popular dramatic series internationally by the Festival de Tlvision de Monte-Carlo, which has awarded it the "International Television Audience Award (Best Television Drama Series)" three times.[3][4] Its worldwide audience was estimated to be over 73.8million viewers in 2009.[4] In 2012, the show was named the most watched show in the world for the fifth time.[5]CSI has been nominated multiple times for industry awards and has won nine awards during its history. The program has spawned several media projects including an exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, a series of books, several video games, and two additional TV shows. It has reached milestone episodes, such as the 100th, "Ch-Ch-Changes", the 150th, "Living Legend", which starred Roger Daltrey from The Who, performers of the show's theme song, the 200th, "Mascara" (aired on April 2, 2009), the 250th, "Cello and Goodbye" (on May 5, 2011), and the 300th, "Frame by Frame" (on October 23, 2013).

CSI has aired 14 seasons with the latest season premiering on September 25, 2013.[6] On March 13, 2014, CBS renewed the series for a fifteenth season.[7]

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Productions, which became CBS Paramount Television in the fall of 2006, and CBS Television Studios three years later. Formerly a co-production with the now-defunct Alliance Atlantis Communications, that company's interest in the series is now[when?] owned by investment firm GS Capital Partners, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs.[8] CBS acquired AAC's international distribution rights to the program, though the non-US DVD distribution rights did not change (for example, Momentum Pictures continues to own UK DVD rights).

The series has been heavily criticizedalmost since its debut[citation needed]by police and district attorneys,[citation needed] who feel CSI portrays an inaccurate image of how police solve crimes,[citation needed] and by the Parents Television Council, who note the level and gratuitousness of graphic violence, images and sexual content seen on the show.[citation needed] Nevertheless, CSI became the most watched show on American television by 2002.[9] The success of the show encouraged CBS to produce a franchise, starting in May 2002 with the spin-off CSI: Miami and then again in 2004 with CSI: NY. The series is now[when?] in syndication and reruns are broadcast in the U.S. on the Spike and TV Land cable networks. The show has aired in reruns on the USA Network since January 14, 2011.[citation needed]

As of the fall of 2008, CSI commanded an average cost of $262,600 for a 30-second commercial, according to an Advertising Age survey of media-buying firms.[10]

During the 1990s, Anthony Zuiker caught producer Jerry Bruckheimer's attention after writing his first movie script and was convinced that there was a series in the concept. Bruckheimer agreed and arranged a meeting with the head of Touchstone Pictures. The studio's head at the time liked the spec script and presented it to ABC, NBC and Fox executives, who decided to pass. The head of drama development at CBS saw potential in the script, and the network had a pay or play contract with actor William Petersen who said he wanted to do the CSI pilot. The network's executives liked the pilot so much that they decided to include it in their 2000 schedule immediately, airing on Fridays after The Fugitive. Initially it was thought that CSI would benefit from The Fugitive (a remake of the 1960s series), which was expected to be a hit, but by the end of the year 2000, CSI had a much larger audience.[11]

CSI has frequent comedic moments, which helps relieve the often harrowing content, sometimes descending into black comedy, as in the episode "Appendicitement".

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