News broke of a potential revival of CBS' hit crime procedural CSI more than a year ago, and now CBS has officially given a series order to bring the long-running franchise back to TV. Like the original, the new CSI will be set in Las Vegas, and has the official title of CSI: Vegas. The new series is being billed by CBS as a sequel rather than a reboot, and some original cast members will be reprising their roles alongside some newcomers.
CSI: Vegas, which is coming to TV courtesy of CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, will pick up with a brilliant new team of forensic investigators facing an existential crisis that could bring down the Crime Lab, which prompts them to welcome back old friends while also deploying new techniques with the goal of serving (and preserving) justice. Officially returning to the CSI franchise for CSI: Vegas will be William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and Wallace Langham.
Newcomers will include Paula Newsome of Chicago Med and Barry fame, Matt Lauria of Friday Night Lights and Kingdom, Mel Rodriguez of The Last Man on Earth and Briarpatch, and Mandeep Dhillon of Bulletproof and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.
Interestingly, both Matt Lauria and Mel Rodriguez appeared in the CSI franchise earlier in their careers, with Lauria playing a character by the name of Agent Matthew Pratt in three episodes of CSI between 2011-2012 and Rodriguez playing Al McGrath in a 2004 episode of CSI: NY. Neither actor is listed as an original series star returning to CSI, and their first characters are definitely minor in the grand scheme of things, so CSI: Vegas will presumably be a case of actors playing multiple roles in the same franchise, which is definitely not unheard of!
Jason Tracey, known for his work as executive producer on Burn Notice and CBS' Elementary, will serve as showrunner. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl commented on the series order for CSI: Vegas, saying:
Twenty-one years ago, we launched CSI and watched in awe as this new cinematic series launched an entire genre and became a groundbreaking juggernaut that still has global resonance today. We are thrilled to welcome the next generation of forensic criminalists to the CSI brand and unite them with the legendary characters from the past who we still love, including the extraordinary Billy Petersen and Jorja Fox. Crimefighting technology has advanced dramatically over the last several years, and combined with classic CSI storytelling, we can’t wait to watch this new CSI team do what they do best: follow the evidence.
CBS hasn't announced a premiere date for CSI: Vegas just yet, but it will be coming to CBS in the 2021-2022 TV season, which could mean as soon as the fall. That said, it could also mean as late as spring or summer of 2022, but why not be optimistic with so many promising details about the sequel series? The original CSI ran for more than 330 episodes over 15 seasons from 2000-2015 and launched multi-season spinoffs: CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Cyber. CBS is already hyping the new CSI:
If you're now in the mood to dive back into the original CSI, you can find the full run of the series streaming on Hulu. Paramount+ also offers CSI streaming, but only the first two seasons and then the 15th season. CBS also has another revival of a long-running crime procedural in the works, although the Criminal Minds return is expected to head to the Paramount+ streaming service as an original.
