The ‘CSI’ Franchise Reigns Globally, But Will It Stay Intact Next Season?
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival today announced this year’s finalists for the International TV Audience Awards in three categories, Drama TV Series, Comedy TV Series, and Telenovelas/Soap Operas. The drama category, featuring the three most watched drama series in the world, provided a rare sweep as the nominees were U.S.’ CSI, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami.
The latest reminder how immensely popular the CSI franchise is around the world comes as the two spinoffs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY face danger of cancellation at CBS. (The mothership CSI series has been renewed for next season.) Both spinoff series were uprooted from their long-time Monday 10 PM (CSI: Miami) and Wednesday 10 PM (CSI: NY) slots last season to make room for new shows. In addition to strong international sales, both CSI: Miami and CSI: NY have lucrative off-network syndication deals in place, with TNT and Spike TV (CSI:NY) and AMC and A&E (CSI:Miami). Both series’ current seasons were abbreviated and speculation is that one of them probably won’t make it to next fall. CSI:NY is younger and thus cheaper but CSI: Miami is higher-rated. And the recent off-network deal with AMC has the network committed to two more seasons of the David Caruso-starring procedural if produced. The scenario making the rounds today had CSI:NY staying and CSI:Miami going away, with cost as a main argument. If that happens, Caruso is prepared. After almost a decade without an agent, the CSI: Miami star recently signed with WME.
Even if one of the CSI series goes away, the franchise’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer still may have four series on CBS next season (His company also produces the network’s reality veteran The Amazing Race), as Jerry Bruckheimer TV also has drama pilot Trooper in contention for next season. Observers speculate that the pilot’s pickup chances may increase if one of the CSI spinoffs gets canceled as CBS has made it clear that it wants to be in the Jerry Bruckheimer business. CBS has to make the decision before its May 16 upfront presentation. So by the time the winners of the International TV Audience Awards are announced on June 14, one of the three drama series nominees may be already dead. CSI: NY is the only series that has not won the award. The mothership was honored last year as well as in 2007 and 2008; CSI: Miami won in 2006.
It is sad to read CSI Miami may end this season. I understand about the costs, but CSI Miami was getting 15 million viewers and high 4 demos on Mondays,the idea of replacing it with the Hawaii 50 remake that is getting 10 million viewers and 2.6 demo was a dumb idea. And internationally is a flop, no like all the CSI.
Hope cbs keeps all the CSI.The only good thing they have made after the NCIS/CSI is Person of Interest this season.
I agree. Both shows were doing really well in their oiginal days & timeslots. If they had been left there, their returning next season would not even be in question. Just think, CSI Las Vegas in CSI NY’s old timeslot on Wednesday is basically doing the same numbers that NY was doing. And Hawaii 5.0 has yet to post numbers that Miami was doing on Monday nights.
CSI: MIAMI looked like an hour long movie every week before they switched to the Alexa. They think people don’t notice the difference but they do!
I have been a fan for years and I agree with the look but the camera excuse I do not agree.I have been watching Magic City and it looks
stunning, It willalways be about the painter not the brushes.
All three should be wiped away. The original show is starting to run on fumes now that on George Eads and Paul Guilfoyle are the only original cast members left who have been there since the start – you could count Eric Szmanda too, but he wasn’t a regular until 2002.
Had the Langston-era not existed and jumped straight into the Danson-era, things would be different. But it just simply collapsed while Fishbourne was around and has spent this season trying to rebuild.
So shows are only good if there are a certain number of original cast members left? Shows can’t be reborn with new characters? I agree about the Langston error, but Ted Danson and Elizabeth Shue have brought a new energy to the show and have made it feel fresh. They moved it to Wednesdays thinking it would die but new viewers came aboard and it crushed that time slot. CSI is one of the few shows that can go on and on because it’s about the crimes, not the characters. Shows like Grey’s or any other “soap” shows run their course once everyone’s banged each other. CSI counts on great crimes thus allowing for the rotation of the cast. Long live CSI!!!
I agree with Brad here. CSI isn’t Law & Order with the revolving cast members. I checked out when Grissom left and they killed off Warrick. CSI: Miami has that consistency that I like (over 10 years and it’s only lost Speed and the coroner chick), and the filmmaking is still top-notch.
Losing Rory Cochrane was major and I only watched for a couple of seasons after his departure. Jonathan Togo, probably a nice guy in real life, has never quite filled the bill. Stopped watching this show in 2006 when they killed off Alana de la Garza after that lame Horatio love-story arc. For an entire season, the two wooed each other without kissing, rarely touching and never bedding each other. Now that’s realistic.
HOUSE is supposedly one of the most popular shows around the world, but I don’t see Fox giving it an extra season to keep the profits coming.
Of course, Fox doesn’t own HOUSE. Universal does. So the situations aren’t exactly the same.
I wish them luck with their future endeavors. Personally, I stopped watching CSI LV last year. And have never really been interested in the other two.
I don’t know about the rest of the world but NY has always been a flop down under.
CSI:NY is the best of all of the CSI’s!
Mac Taylor is all business
My family has seen all three CSI’s and we all agree that CSI: Miami is the best. CSI: Miami is the only one we watch regularly. If it gets cancelled we will be devastated! I think a television show that once had the title “The most watched show in the world” deserves a final season to wrap up all the loose ends. Last time I checked CSI: NY never reached that.
CSI: Miami has gotten so bad the last couple of years, the writing is awful. Won’t miss it.
I hope CSI: NY is renewed, Miami is really terrible now, here in the uk NY is extremely popular, I think they might renew all 3
I have been a fan of all three CSI’s from the beginning but it really is time for the Miami version to end. The writing is terrible and the characters have become boring. How many times can each one come so close to being killed?
My current favorite is NY. The storylines are still good and the characters are great.
I agree with you on CSI: Miami, but I disagree with you on CSI: NY. The only good characters on CSI: NY are Mac and Flack; the rest of the characters are ether decent but forgettable or just outright awful. Same can be said for the storylines.