CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Franchise mitosis machine that defined 2000s procedural TV.

Why it matters

Episode guide

337 episodes across 16 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.

At a glance

Las Vegas criminalists solve murders with stylish science, moody lighting, and forensic close-ups that made lab work look like nightclub cinema. Anthony E. Zuiker's CBS hit turned the "who" into the "how" and spawned a franchise mitosis machine. William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger anchored early years of sunglasses, evidence, and gravitas. The "CSI effect" entered real courtroom discourse. It is 2000s procedural TV as global brand architecture.

Network & studio

• CBS — broadcast network

Why watch now

For pure primetime forensics glamour and the template every later evidence show imitates. Early seasons especially define the look: whoosh-zooms, glass, and moral chill.

Cultural impact

CSI redefined the network procedural and created a multi-city franchise empire. It influenced jury expectations talk and a decade of copycat science cops. Few 2000s shows franchised harder.

Creators

Anthony E. Zuiker

Key cast

• William Petersen as Gil Grissom
• Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows
• George Eads as Nick Stokes
• Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle
• Paul Guilfoyle as Jim Brass
• Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders

Flash facts

• Created by Anthony E. Zuiker; CBS premiere October 6, 2000.
• Original Las Vegas series ran through 2015, with later revival limited series.
• Spawned major spinoffs including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Cyber.
• Popularized highly stylized forensic visualization on network TV.
• The phrase "CSI effect" entered discussions about real-world jury expectations of forensic evidence.

FAQ

Back to the decade

More from the 2000s — The Prestige Turn. All shows.