The CSI Story

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (commonly referred to as CSI) is a popular, Emmy Award-winning CBS television series that trails the investigations of a team of forensic scientists as they unravel the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ranked first in the June 2005 Nielsen Ratings with a viewership of 60 million, the show serves as the backbone of CBS's leading Thursday lineup. The 2004-2005 season finale, directed by Quentin Tarantino, was watched by over 40 million viewers, making it one of the most watched shows in history. The show averages 30 million viewers every week and as of February 2006, CBS reported that over 90 million viewers have tuned into the series this year alone. The show is produced in partnership with the Canadian media company Alliance Atlantis.

CSI was presented for review to ABC in 1999, only to be dismissed as too confusing for the average viewer. Creator Anthony E. Zuiker then took the show to CBS, which placed it in its Friday lineup, where it shot to the top of the ratings charts.

After its initial success, the show's time slot was moved to Thursdays in 2000 in an attempt to challenge NBC's Thursday lineup, which boasted popular shows such as Friends, Will & Grace, and ER. CSI maintained its ratings in its new timeslot, and when Friends came to an end in 2004, its ratings strengthened.

In 2003, CBS's then-corporate sibling Spike TV purchased the right to syndicate CSI for a record amount of $1.6 million per episode. The nightly reruns quickly became that network's top-rated show outside of WWE RAW.

Although the show is set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the production is actually based in Universal City, California. In May 2005, it was announced that the sound stage would be moving from Santa Clarita Studios to Universal Studios. CSI began production at Santa Clarita Studios in 1999. CSI is still expected to film on location in Santa Clarita because of its resemblance to the outskirts of Las Vegas. No reason was given for the move.

As for the show's broader social impact, it has been credited with an increase in college applications to forensic science programs, and has influenced the way victims, jurors, prosecutors and the general public view forensic science. This has been called the CSI effect.

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