October marks the 25^th anniversary of the CSI franchise, which spanned five series and numerous merchandise lines such as toys, games, and even magazines. The flagship series is one of many primetime TV shows to run for more than 250 episodes, capping at 337. The latest series, CSI: Vegas, which served as a follow-up to the original, ended in 2024 after three seasons. Whether or not the franchise will make another comeback is unknown, but if it ever happens, the creator has two bonkers ideas.

There was a five-year gap in the franchise between when CSI: Cyber ended in 2016 and when CSI: Vegas premiered in 2021, so a return in the future is not entirely out of the question, no matter how long it takes. However, creator Anthony Zuiker told TV Insider that the only way another CSI show would get off the ground is on one condition. And it would not be like the others:

Considering that there wouldn’t be a CSI franchise without Zuiker (and he was on hand for every single show), it would only make sense that he’d want to be involved if another series were to happen. There’s also so many cities that the franchise can take place in or teams to focus on where it doesn’t feel like recycled material. It would definitely be insane to have the show take place years in the future or years in the past, but it would be entertaining, to say the least. And Zuiker doesn’t see any other plot working:

Zuiker has a vision, and he knows what he wants, and I can’t blame him. As much as some fans may want a series set in a different country, much like the NCIS franchise, he doesn’t see the point. And honestly, doing a show that’s set in the way past or way future would be a lot more interesting, and seeing how they solved cases in that time period and what the cases would be. It really would be something fans hadn’t seen before.

Since CSI: Vegas was canceled and it didn’t get to end on its own terms, perhaps not having a new series is for the best. At least for now. The show gave fans updates on original characters, some of which we got to see return.

At the very least, fans have almost 900 episodes of the CSI franchise to watch with a Paramount+ subscription. CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Vegas are all available on the streamer. Additionally, Zuiker also created The Real CSI: Miami following Vegas' cancellation, which is one of the best true crime shows you can stream. Even though Zuiker seems set on his plan for the franchise, he could always change his mind in the future.

Some of the best TV theme songs were already hits or great songs that were adapted as a theme song. These are songs that were written for the show, like the retro ones that still slap, but these are all great songs.

Like The Who contributing to the CSI franchise, or Jane's Addiction lending one of its songs to Entourage. For this list, we're going to avoid covers or reworked versions of the songs that were already famous, like the cover of The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which was used for the show Life Goes On. This is our list of existing songs that became awesome TV theme songs.

"Who Are You" - CSI

All of the CSI franchise shows have used songs by The Who as their theme song, creating a nice symmetry between the shows. The original show, CSI, or later CSI: Las Vegas used "Who Are You," and it turned out so great, that when CSI:Miami became the first spinoff, the producers chose

"California" - The O.C.

The band Phantom Planet released their second album, The Guest, in 2002, which included the earworm "California." It was a natural choice for The O.C. which has to be one of the most "California" shows ever. A fun fact about the song is that Phantom Planet's drummer at the time, and on the track, was actor Jason Schwartzman.

"I Don't Want To Wait" - Dawson's Creek

"I Don't Want to Wait" was first recorded and released on Paula Cole's second album, titled This Fire, in 1996. A couple of years later the song was chosen to be the theme song for the WB's first mega-hit Dawson's Creek. The song likewise became a hit, rocketing to #11 on the Billboard charts.

"Bad Reputation" - Freaks And Geeks

19 years after Joan Jett told the world she didn't care about her "Bad Reputation," the cult classic show Freak And Geeks used it as its theme song for its one and only season. The song has had a life far beyond the show, just as the show has had a long life beyond it's only season.

"With A Little Help From My Friends" - The Wonder Years

If you're going to set a TV show in the '60s, it's a good idea to dig deep into that well of amazing rock and soul music of the era. The Wonder Years smartly used tons of great music from the era, including a theme song by a famous musician who first had a hit with it in 1968. Joe Cocker's version of The Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends" was a bigger hit than The Beatles' version, and this was the song that led off The Wonder Years.

"We Used To Be Friends" - Veronica Mars

The Dandy Warhols are one of the great cult bands from the late '90s/early '00s. It was one of their songs, "We Used To Be Friends," that was chosen to be the theme of Veronica Mars and it's frankly the perfect choice for the show. The band, like the show, has a strong fanbase that won't let the song, or the show, be forgotten.

"Way Down In A Hole" - The Wire

This one is a little tricky because technically it breaks our rule about having cover versions of the original song (or the original hit, at least). The first season of The Wire featured a version of the Tom Waits song "Way Down In The Hole" by the Blind Boys Of Alabama. But we're in luck because the second season of the HBO classic features Tom Waits' original version. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th seasons would also feature cover versions of the song.

"C'mon, C'mon" - Rescue Me

The Von Bondies were a good band that really only gained the attention they deserved when their song "C'Mon, C'Mon" was chosen to be the theme song of Rescue Me, starring Denis Leary. For seven seasons, the song ran over the opening titles and as a result, became a big hit for the group.

"Teardrop" - House

Massive Attack has never been a...massive band in the United States. In Britain, however, they are huge. The trip-hop electronic act has released a slew of fantastic records, though their third album, Mezzanine, remains probably the most popular. One of the best songs on that album, "Teardrop" became the theme song for House, though a different, more generic song has been used on streaming and in syndication.

"Reflections" - China Beach

There aren't a lot of shows about Vietnam, but there are a lot of movies about the war. All those movies feature great songs from the era and thankfully the one hit show about the Vietnam War followed suit. China Beach chose the fantastic song "Reflections" by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Solid choice, for sure.

"Save Me" - Smallville

"Save Me" was the lead single on the album The Golden Hum, by the band Remy Zero. It was dubiously released on September 10th, 2001. A week later the WB hit Smallville debuted, using "Save Me" as its theme song. The song became a minor hit for the band, but sadly, Remy Zero broke up before recording a follow-up album.

"Woke Up This Morning" - The Sopranos

"Woke Up This Morning" by the British band Alabama 3 was a minor hit in the U.K. in 1997, when it was released, but didn't gain any traction in the U.S. That changed in a huge way when it was picked to be the theme song of The Sopranos. The song became one of those spine-tingling moments whenever viewers would here that famous HBO audio mark right before the beat of the song would hit as Tony drove from New York City to his house in New Jersey each week.

"Love And Marriage" - Married... With Children

For a show that took pride in just how crude it can be, it's kinda awesome that the theme song was by one of the classiest singers of all time. Married... With Children used the Frank Sinatra song "Love And Marriage" as its theme song and it worked amazing for that intro with the shot of a fountain in Chicago.

"Little Boxes" - Weeds

Malvina Reynolds wrote "Little Boxes" in 1962 and gave it to her friend, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, who had a minor hit with it in 1964. It was Reynolds' version that would become the biggest hit when it was used as the theme for Showtime's Weeds.

"Superhero" - Entourage

Jane's Addiction had their biggest hits in the early '90s before they broke up (for the first time) in 1994. When they reconvened in 2001, they finally recorded their third "proper" album, Strays (JA fans will tell you it was their fourth album, including their debut live album commonly called XXX). The song "Superhero" from Strays became the best-known song from the album when it was used for the theme of HBO's Entourage.

"Stand" - Get A Life

Highlighting just how offbeat Get A Life, starring Chris Eliot, was, the show managed to score an REM hit for its theme song. "Stand" from the REM album Orange was a huge hit and the band was notorious for protecting their songs from too much commercialization. In short, they were the last band you'd expect to allow one of its songs to be used on TV. But the show was so unique, that it made perfect sense.

"Rock Around The Clock" - Happy Days

We know what you're thinking, "Wait a minute, Happy Days had its own song. You're right, but that famous theme song wasn't used until the show's second season. The theme in the first season was the Bill Haley and the Comets hit "Rock Around The Clock."

"Jessica" - Top Gear

"Hold on! Top Gear used a cover version of The Allman Brothers Band's song "Jessica"" is what you're thinking here. Well, you're right. But the old Top Gear, the original version that ran from the '70s until the late '90s, used the original version by The Allmans.

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" - Deadliest Catch

Even reality shows like to use big hits. Take, for example, The Deadliest Catch, which used a perfect song, Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive." There's no way you can find a more perfect theme, nor could anyone write a more perfect one.

"Straight Up And Down" - Boardwalk Empire

One of the coolest ideas the showrunners of HBO's Boardwalk Empire had was to use a very modern song by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. For a show set in the 1920s, you wouldn't expect a song like "Straight Up and Down" and yet it works perfectly.

"Low Rider" - The George Lopez Show

It might be a little on the nose, but somehow it still works. The George Lopez Show uses the band War's hit "Low Rider" which is one of the best songs Chicano rock songs of all time.

"What A Wonderful World" - Family Matters

This is another one where you might be thinking that the show had its own, unique theme song and you're right. For most of its run Full House used its own song, but for the first five episodes of Season 1, the show used the classic "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

"Carry On My Wayward Son" - Supernatural

If we're being honest, "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas doesn't jump out as the perfect theme song for a fantasy show like Supernatural, but today, it's impossible to think the theme song to the show could be anything other than the 1970's hit.

"Tea For The Tillerman" - Extras

"Tea For The Tillerman" by Cat Stevens is the perfect choice for the Ricky Gervais show Extras. The song wasn't a huge hit, it was more of a coda on Cat Stevens' album by the same, which was a huge hit when it was released in 1970.

"Bad Boys" - COPS

COPS is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, as it's basically been on the air in one form or another since 1989. In total, there have been well over 1000 episodes of the groundbreaking reality show and all of those episodes have started with the song "Bad Boys" by reggae legends Inner Circle.

"Closer To Free" - Party Of Five

Wisconsin band BoDeans landed their biggest hit when their song "Closer To Free" from their fifth album became the theme song to Party Of Five. The song charted as high as #16 once the show took off.

"Bad Things" - True Blood

Singer-songwriter Jace Everett released "Bad Things" in 2005, but it failed to make a big impression on the public. It was a great song though, and when it was picked as the theme to the HBO hit True Blood, the song, like the show, took off and became a hit among fans of the show.

"Livin' On The Edge" - Ice Road Truckers

Following in the footsteps of his cousin, Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers picked another song from a hair metal band. The theme for the first four seasons of the nail-biting show was "Livin' On The Edge" by Aerosmith, a perfect choice.

"Next Year" - Ed

NBC's Ed found a cult following during its four seasons on the air, but the band whose song was the theme, The Foo Fighters, is anything but a cult band. They were then and are still one of the biggest bands in the world and their song "Next Year" is one of their many hits.

"Flagpole Sitta" - Peep Show

it's sad to say that Harvey Danger, who released "Flagpole Sitta" in 1997, is a one-hit wonder. They deserve so much better. But alas, "Flagpole Sitta" was their lone hit, but what a hit it's been. It's seemingly everywhere, even more than two decades since its release. That includes as the theme for the British show Peep Show for the show's final eight seasons.

"Where You Lead" - The Gilmore Girls

The Gilmore Girls has been a surprisingly enduring show over the years. Though it ended almost two decades ago, the show remains beloved by its fans. It's fitting that the show's theme song is an enduring hit too. "Where You Lead," by Carole King, was first released in 1970. it's worth noting that the theme song is slightly reworked by King and recorded for the show by King and Louise Goffin.

"Forever Young" - Parenthood

Parenthood pulled off quite the coup when they landed the Bob Dylan song "Forever Young" as its theme song. Dylan is famously protective of this music.

It’s hard enough for a TV show to be greenlit for a pilot and then officially ordered to series, let alone run for many seasons. Many of these shows don’t make it past their first season, and those that end up running between five-10 should definitely be considered successes. But over the decades, there have been a handful of shows that have achieved the incredible feat of lasting more than 10 seasons. Most have been live-action programming, whether we’re talking exceptional dramas or the best sitcoms of all time, and some are among the best-animated TV shows of all time. Whatever the case, these 32 TV shows deserve to be spotlighted as small-screen programming that ran for amazingly long times.

NCIS

The series about agents solving crimes for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service spun out of JAG, which had its own impressive run from 1995-2005. However, it’s safe to say that NCIS far surpassed its predecessor’s level of popularity, as not only did the main show end up running over multiple decades, but it also launched a franchise encompassing many spinoffs, one of which will be mentioned later.

The Simpsons

The satirical depiction of suburban life in Springfield centered around Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie and their family members and friends quickly became a pop culture phenomenon after it started in 1989. As the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom and longest-running primetime show, The Simpsons has become a beloved TV staple to multiple generations.

Cheers

From 1982-1993, viewers could visit a Boston bar where everybody knew their name… or rather they could pretend they were hanging out with folks like Sam, Carla and Norm. Cheers proved to be a sitcom sensation that earned numerous accolades, including winning 28 Emmys out of 111 nominations and six Golden Globes out of 31 nominations.

The Big Bang Theory

What started out as a show about a group of scientifically gifted young men and and the gorgeous blonde woman who lived across the hall from two of them became something so much more by the time its 12-season run was finished. Not only did The Big Bang Theory spotlight geek culture in a way that made it more than just the butt of jokes, but its legacy lived on through the prequel spinoff Young Sheldon.

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke achieved popularity as a radio program from 1952 to 1961, but in the middle of that run, it was additionally adapted for TV, and that was an even better success. With a 20-season run, plus five TV movies made after it ended in 1975, the series about Marshal Matt Dillon protecting the citizens of Dodge City, Kanas in the post-Civil War era ranked for a long time as the longest-running, primetime, live-action TV series.

Law & Order

Police procedurals obviously weren’t anything new when Law & Order debuted in 1990, but the Dick Wolf creation about New York City police detectives and prosecuting attorneys has arguably become the most well-known of this type of programming from its own merit and the massive small screen franchise it launched. The show originally aired on NBC for 20 seasons, and then the network revived it in 2022.

Family Guy

Family Guy didn’t get off to the best of starts, as it was canceled by Fox in 2002 after just three seasons. However, thanks to syndicated reruns and DVD sales. Peter Griffin and his family and friends from Quahog, Rhode Island returned to the network in 2005, and the show has since delivered so many hilarious episodes, though it’s not without its controversies. We’re lucky there’s still a man who positively can do all the things that make us laugh and cry.

Dallas

The primetime soap opera about the Ewing family, which owned the Ewing Oil company and Southfork Ranch, captivated audiences over its 14-season run, which is also just as long as the spinoff Knot’s Landing lasted. Dallas would later receive a revival that ran from 2012-2014, though it ignored the events from the two TV movies that followed the original series.

American Dad!

In 2005, the same year Family Guy returned to the airwaves, Seth MacFarlane also delivered American Dad!, which started out as the first show on Fox’s Animation Domination block, and was then moved to TBS years later. It might not have quite the name recognition as Family Guy, but the hijinks of Stan Smith and his family and associates have assembled their own sizable fanbase.

Bonanza

Bonanza is another Western that had a lengthy run in the earlier years of television, running on NBC from 1959 to 1973. Week after week, viewers turned in to watch the stories centered on the wealthy Cartwright family who lived near Virginia City, Nevada in the 1860s, and the series was followed by three made-for-TV movies, as well as a short-lived prequel called The Ponderosa that ran in 2001.

South Park

Y’all ever come down to South Park to meet some friends of mine? Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Comedy Central show started out as two animated short films before it was ordered to series in 1997. South Park is unquestionably one of the most controversial pieces of programming on this list thanks to its many outrageous episodes, but there’s no questioning how much of an impact it’s left on pop culture… when it’s not making fun of it, that is.

Blue Bloods

While Tom Selleck will always arguably be best known for leading the original Magnum P.I., he spent a lot longer on the CBS procedural Blue Bloods. He played NYPD Commissioner Frank Regan in this series following the Reagan family and their various jobs in law enforcement that lasted for 14 seasons.

Supernatural

As one of the pieces of programming that weathered The WB’s transition to The CW, Supernatural, which followed brothers Dean and Sam Winchester battling demonic creatures across the United States, had an impressive 15-season run and assembled a passionate fanbase during that time. It’s the longest-running live-action fantasy series and was followed by the short-lived prequel The Winchesters.

Criminal Minds

This procedural is about the criminal profilers who work for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. The original incarnation of Criminal Minds ran on CBS for 16 seasons, which is obviously a big deal on its own. Then just two years later, it was revived as a Paramount+-exclusive show, albeit now titled as Criminal Minds: Evolution.

M*A*S*H

In 1972, two years after the M*A*S*H movie achieved critical and commercial success, the same-named TV series inspired by the same premise first featured in the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors started airing on CBS. This comedy/drama about doctors during the Korean War ran for 11 seasons, and its finale was the most-watched TV broadcast in the United States from 1983 to 2010.

Law And Order: Special Victims Unit

In 1999, nine years after Law & Order began, this TV property officially became a franchise when Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began airing. This series specifically focused on sexually-based crimes became just as popular as its predecessor, if not more so. Mariska Hargitay anchors SVU as Olivia Benson, with her being the only main cast member to have been around since the show started.

Grey’s Anatomy

Viewers have spent a long time with the employees at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, which was later renamed the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Grey’s Anatomy began on ABC in 2005 with Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey leading the large cast, and other notable cast members who’ve appeared on the show over the years include Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, Kate Walsh, Eric Dane and Jesse Williams, among many others.

Frasier

Frasier Crane didn’t appear on Cheers until Season 3, but after that show concluded, Kelsey Grammer’s character took center stage for the spinoff that saw him moving to Seattle, Washington to host his own radio show. Like Cheers, Frasier ran for 11 seasons and racked up a lot of Emmy wins. Nearly two decades after the series ended, Grammer returned to lead a revival/sequel on Paramount+.

Modern Family

Over the course of 11 seasons, Modern Family followed along with three kinds of connected families: nuclear, blended and same-sex. The result was the series starring Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara and Ed O’Neill, among many others, becoming one of ABC’s most popular pieces of programming, and by the time it ended in 2020, it had won 22 Emmys.

ER

While not the first medical show to be called ER (though the first was written as E/R), this drama hailing from the mind of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton obviously left a much bigger stamp on pop culture. From George Clooney and Angela Bassett, to John Stamos and Ming-Na Wen, as well as a lot of ER cameos, this NBC series about the staff of the fictional Cook County General Hospital highlighted a lot of major talents during its 15 seasons on the air.

Bob’s Burgers

Fox strengthened its lineup of adult animation in 2011 with Bob’s Burgers, which is about the Belcher family running their hamburger restaurant and their interesting clientele. The series has spawned a theatrical movie and a comic book series, but the show more than holds up on its own, as evidenced by its Emmy wins and nominations, among other accolades.

Two And A Half Men

Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen, two actors closely tied with the Brat Pack, teamed up in 2003 for Two and a Half Men, which followed Cryer’s Alan Harper and his son Jake, played by Angus T. Jones, moving into the Malibu house of Sheen’s Charlie Harper, Alan’s brother. Both Sheen and Jones eventually left the show, and Ashton Kutcher came aboard as Walden Schmidt, but in the end, Two and a Half Men had a great run with 12 seasons.

NCIS: Los Angeles

Just like how JAG aired the backdoor pilot for NCIS in 2003, in 2009, NCIS aired special episodes to set up its first spinoff, NCIS: Los Angeles, which followed the Office of Special Projects in the title city. The procedural starring Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Daniela Ruah and more ended up running for 14 seasons on CBS.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

In 2000, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS, and it quickly became a worldwide phenomena, both in positive and negative (the show’s violence and graphic imagery being a frequent source of criticism). The show ended after 15 seasons, and then in 2021, a revival called CSI: Vegas aired on Paramount+ for three seasons, following previous spinoffs Miami, NY and Cyber.

Hawaii-5-O

Although the Hawaii-5-0 reboot had a healthy run of 10 seasons, the original, spelled Hawaii 5-O, lasted just a little longer at 12 seasons. From 1968 to 1980, viewers spent time with characters like Steve McGarrett, Danno Williams and Chin Ho Kelly as they tracked down and apprehended criminals around the Hawaiian Islands, and the series’ popularity led to “Book ‘em” becoming part of the pop culture lexicon.

Murder, She Wrote

Having already made a name for herself on the stage and in movies like The Manchurian Candidate, Angela Lansbury left her mark on TV when she played Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. For 12 seasons and four made-for-TV movies, her character, mystery writer Jessica Fletcher solved murders that were being committed in her town of Cabot Cove, Maine and other locations around the world.

Bones

Bones stood out from other procedurals by focusing on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, as Emily Deschanel’s Temperance “Bones” Brennan would study the human remains brought in by FBI agent Seeley Booth, played by David Boreanaz, for investigations. Clearly audiences liked this approach, as the show ran for 12 seasons on Fox.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Originally starting out on FX, and then moving to FXX in 2013, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has spent years chronicling the exploits of Charlie, Dennis, Mac Dee and Frank, a.k.a. “The Gang.” They run the Irish dive bar Paddy’s Pub in Philadelphia and are some of the worst people who’ve ever walked the Earth, but their misadventures have produced some of TV’s greatest comedic moments, and it’s become the longest-running live-action sitcom.

The X-Files

The X-Files originally ran on Fox from 1993 to 2002, with David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully looking into cases involving paranormal elements. While the show in its original run wouldn’t have qualified for this list, The X-Files came back for two more seasons from 2016-2018. A theatrical movie, also just called The X-Files, was additionally released in 1998, and The X-Files: I Want To Believe followed in 2008.

King Of The Hill

In yet another example of how much Fox has killed it with adult animation, King of the Hill earned critical acclaim during its 13 seasons originally on the air. The looks at the lives of the Hill family and those in their orbit earned two Emmy awards, among other accolades. In 2023, nearly 15 years after the series ended, it was announced that King of the Hill would be revived, which those with a Hulu subscription could watch.

Will & Grace

Will & Grace originally ran on NBC from 1998 to 2006, and thanks to returning for three more seasons between 2017 and 2020, it makes the cut for this list. The lives of best friends Eric McCormack’s Will Truman and Debra Messing’s Grace Adler, plus cohorts Jack McFarland and Karen Walker, played respectively by Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, earned 18 Emmys and 96 total nominations.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Following his time show running all but two seasons of Seinfeld, Larry David took center stage for Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was based on his 1999 one-hour special Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm and saw him playing a fictional version of himself who frequently found himself in awkward social situations. While Curb Your Enthusiasm didn’t air consistently between 2000 and 2024, it racked up 12 seasons in the end.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that some of the best TV theme songs are courtesy of some of the greatest musicians in pop culture. Iconic TV theme songs can be as fondly remembered as the characters on the show, sometimes even more so. These are themes that still slap because they were created by the best of the best. Here is our list of some of the great songs that became iconic TV theme songs.

Friends - The Rembrandts

The legend goes that REM was first approached to have their song "Shiny Happy People" used as the theme song to Friends, but they turned the producers down. According to Michael Stipe, the producers then turned to the LA-based dup The Rembrandts to write an REM-like song. Frankly, "I'll Be There For You," the song that became a hit as the theme doesn't sound much like REM, but it's a great song, even if the band found the fame very stressful and almost quit over it. 

Orange Is The New Black - Regina Spektor

The creative team behind Orange Is The New Black found the perfect voice in Regina Spektor to compose and perform the theme song for the show. "You've Got Time" was written for the show and lyrically and musically it fits the show perfectly. 

The Wire - Tom Waits

The Wire did something unique with its theme song. Each season, the same song, a dark, brooding song called "Way Down In The Hole" written by Tom Waits and included on his 1987 classic album  Franks Wild Years. In the first season, it was performed by The Blind Boys of Alabama. Waits' original version was used for Season 2. Seasons three and four saw the theme performed by  The Neville Brothers and a group of local Baltimore kids dubbed  DoMaJe, respectively. For the fifth and final season, singer-songwriter Steve Earle, who also played Waylon on the show, did the song. 

The Golden Girls - Andrew Gold

"Thank You For Being A Friend" is certainly most well known for being the theme to the classic sitcom The Golden Girls, but it was written and recorded by singer Andrew Gold almost a decade earlier and became a top 25 hit in 1978. Singer Cindy Fee sang the TV version. 

Get A Life - REM

In the early days of the Fox network, they were throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what stuck. One brilliant show that never found its audience was Get A Life starring Chris Elliott, now most famous as being from the cast of Schitt's Creek. The show even featured "Stand" by REM as its theme. 

Boardwalk Empire - The Brian Jonestown Massacre

HBO's Boardwalk Empire may have been set in the 1920s, but the theme is from the 1990s. The song, "Straight Up and Down" comes from the excellent 1996 album Take It From The Man by the notorious Brian Jonestown Massacre. Side note - that's the best band name ever. 

A Different World - Aretha Franklin

When A Different World was spun off from the most popular sitcom of its era, The Cosby Show, you know they had to go big with the theme song. It doesn't get any bigger than the Queen of Soul herself, the legendary Aretha Franklin, who sang the theme song for Seasons 2 through 5 after Phoebe Snow sang it in the first season. Later Boyz II Men took over. 

Freaks And Geeks - Joan Jett

Joan Jett didn't give a darn about her bad reputation, nor did the characters in Freaks and Geeks, making the rocker's song, "Bad Reputation" the perfect theme song for the beloved cult show. 

The Big Bang Theory - The Barenaked Ladies

A show about nerds deserves a theme song by a band made of, let's be honest, other nerds. The Barenaked Ladies had a slew of hits in the '90s with their unique brand of dorky, catchy tunes like "Brian Wilson" and "If I Had A Million Dollars," and that aesthetic was perfect for The Big Bang Theory's theme about the origins of the universe. 

China Beach - The Supremes

In the late 1980s, Baby Boomer nostalgia was at its peak, with shows from the '60s being rebooting left and right, and shows like China Beach, about the Vietnam War, finding success on the airwaves. The theme song had to fit the era, and so the producers chose "Reflections" from 1967 by Diana Ross and The Supremes. 

South Park - Primus

An offbeat cartoon like South Park needs an offbeat theme song, so there was no better choice than to enlist Les Claypool and Primus to write and perform it. The theme has become iconic and Primus has even occasionally played it in concert. You just can't imagine the show beginning with anything but that twangy intro. 

The Proud Family - Solange And Destiny's Child

Let's be honest, it's kind of shocking that The Proud Family only aired for two seasons on the Disney Channel in the early '00s. It was a ground-breaking cartoon featuring an African-American family and as such, it deserved a theme song by legends like Solange and Destiny's Child. 

Entourage - Jane's Addiction

HBO's Entourage has one of the coolest intros of any TV show of its era as the characters cruise through Hollywood in a vintage convertible. The Jane's Addiction song "Superhero" plays over the scenes, adding to that coolness. It's a song that comes from JA's 2003 release Strays, but feels very much like it could have been written for the show. 

Dog The Bounty Hunter - Ozzy Osbourne

Dog The Bounty Hunter was a wild show, and having one of rock's wildest characters, Ozzy Osbourne perform the theme song was a match made in heaven. It doesn't sound much like a song you'd expect from the heavy metal legend, but you can't mistake his trademark vocals. Really, it's the best part about the show, if we're honest. 

Miami Vice - Jan Hammer

Jan Hammer might not be a household name, but he's played with some of the biggest jazz and rock legends of all time. His career stretches back to the late 1960s and throughout the '70s he played with legends like Billy Cobham, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and John McLaughlin. He also composed virtually all of the music for Miami Vice throughout the show's entire run, including the iconic theme song. 

House - Massive Attack

If you watch House on a streaming service, you likely won't hear the song it originally used as its theme, "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. Instead, there is a generic song that vaguely sounds close to that song but is not nearly as good. 

That '70s Show - Cheap Trick

The theme to That '70s Show has a disjointed history. The song, "In the Street," was originally written and performed by Big Star, and released in 1972. A slightly reworked version, renamed "That '70s Song" was performed by Todd Griffin for the show's first season. Starting in Season 2, Cheap Trick recorded a version of "That '70s Song" which remained the theme for the rest of the show's eight-season run. 

The Drew Carey Show - The Presidents Of The United States of America

The best-known theme song from The Drew Carey Show is "Cleveland Rocks" by the Seattle band The Presidents of the United States of America. However, it actually had a completely different theme in its first season, a song by Carey himself called "Moon Over Parma." 

All That - TLC

Nickelodeon's All That was groundbreaking in a lot of ways. An SNL for kids that helped launch the careers of actors like Nick Cannon, Kennan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Gabriel Iglesias, and Jamie Lynn Spears. It has to be said that the TLC, who performed the theme song also got a boost from the show, though they were already pretty huge when they recorded it. 

Malcolm in the Middle - They Might Be Giants

In a lot of ways, Malcolm in the Middle defines what being a kid in the early 2000s was all about. Though it was about Milennial childhood, the band who recorded the theme song, They Might Be Giants, are Gen X stalwarts. "Boss of Me" even won the group a Grammy. 

Dawson's Creek - Paula Cole

Paula Cole's song "I Don't Want To Wait" was first released on her 1996 album This Fire and hit #11 on the Billboard charts in 1997. In 1998, it became the theme song for Dawson's Creek and has become simply iconic in the years since. 

The Wonder Years - Joe Cocker

Of course, a show set in the '60s had to have an epic '60s song for its theme song. For The Wonder Years that meant going with Joe Cocker's version of The Beatles' "A Little Help From My Friends." Due to its appearance at the beginning of every episode, Cocker's version is at least as well known by Gen X as the original by the Fab Four, if not more. 

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Who

The original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, set in Las Vegas, spawned spin-offs set in Miami and New York, and all the shows used songs by The Who as their theme songs. For the original, it was "Who Are You," for CSI: Miami it was "Won't Get Fooled Again," and for CSI: NY it was "Baba O'Riley." The short-lived CSI: Cyber, which only had 31 episodes also used a song by The Who, "I Can See For Miles."

One Day At A Time - Gloria Estefan

When One Day At A Time was rebooted by Netflix in 2017, this time about a Latino family, the famous theme song was recorded by one of the greatest Latin artists of all time, Gloria Estefan. You couldn't have asked for a better match. 

Weeds - Malvina Reynolds

Malvina Reynolds has one of the most fascinating stories in 20th-century music. She didn't even start her career in earnest until she was in her forties and her biggest hit, "Little Boxes," was written and recorded until she was in her 60s. The song, first released in 1962, became a hit again as the theme song to Weeds in the '00s. 

The O.C. - Phantom Planet

The most famous member of Phantom Planet is an actor and drummer, Jason Schwartzman, so it tracks that they would find their biggest success when their song "California" was picked to be the theme song of The O.C. Without a doubt, it's a banger and fits the show perfectly. 

Gilmore Girls - Carole King

Carole King's massive hit album Tapestry sold millions of copies on the strength of two hit songs, "I Feel The Earth Move" and "It's Too Late." A third song from that album, "Where You Lead" was re-recorded by King and served as the theme song to Gilmore Girls decades after it was first written. 

Married... With Children - Frank Sinatra

When it comes to 20th Century recording artists, it doesn't get any bigger than Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. You wouldn't expect one of his biggest hits, "Love and Marriage" to serve as the theme to a raunchy sitcom like Married... With Children, and yet it works perfectly. 

Veronica Mars - The Dandy Warhols

The show Veronica Mars and the band that performed the theme song, "We Used to Be Friends," by The Dandy Warhols, have something in common. Both the show and the band were critically lauded and gained a loyal and rabid fanbase, but neither really broke through to a broader mainstream audience. Fitting partners, for sure. 

Party Of Five -  BoDeans

For more than a decade, starting in the early '80s, Wisconsin band BoDeans worked hard to develop their career in music. It all came together for them in the early '90s with their album Go Slow Down, which featured their hit "Closer To Free." The song ended up as the theme song to Party Of Five and has since become iconic. 

Sanford & Son - Quincy Jones

When it comes to TV theme songs, there is not bigger banger than the theme to Sanford & Son. The infectious, impossibly funky tune was written by one of the all greats, composer and producer Quincy Jones. So if you ever wondered what made it so great, there's your answer. 

Ed - Foo Fighters

For decades, The Foo Fighters have been on top of the rock n' roll world. There isn't much that the Dave Grohl-led band hasn't done and that includes having a song serve as a theme song to a TV show. Ed was an underrated hit show on NBC in the early '00s and the Foos' "Next Year" was a great choice for a theme.

Age-rap relationships aren't a rarity on television: in fact, they pop up in seemingly every genre, whether a big fantasy blockbuster like Game of Thrones, a beloved network sitcom like Modern Family, or an acclaimed drama like Succession. And in many cases, the TV wife is much younger than her onscreen spouse — here are 32 TV couples where the bride is married to a much older groom. 

Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

There was a 15-year age difference between royal teen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her much older husband, Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), on HBO's Game of Thrones. Even more surprising, Khaleesi was even younger in the George R. R. Martin novels upon which the fantasy show was based: though she's aged 17 in season one, she's only 13 in the book. 

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Modern Family)

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) is not only 25 years younger than her 60-something Modern Family hubby Jay (Ed O'Neill), but she's also only 14 months younger than her stepdaughter Claire (Julie Bowen). And while that hefty age disparity definitely lends itself to plenty of comedy throughout 11 seasons of the ABC sitcom, their relationship is actually one of the show's staples. 

Ethel Mertz (I Love Lucy)

Though Vivian Vance was only two years older than her onscreen BFF Lucille Ball when the classic comedy I Love Lucy began in 1951, the actress was a whopping 22 years younger than her TV spouse William Frawley, who played the Fred to her Ethel. Rumor has it that Vance wasn't too pleased to be paired with the older actor and their offscreen relationship was less pleasant than their famous chemistry suggests. 

Skyler White (Breaking Bad)

Skyler White (Anna Gunn) got a lot of hate during Breaking Bad's six-season run, but her husband Walt (Bryan Cranston) was running an entire meth empire behind her back so yes, she very much had reason to be upset with him. Walt was actually 12 years older than his wife, so he was definitely grown enough to know better than to get involved with the world of drug cartels. 

Julie Cooper (The O.C.) 

Marissa Cooper's mom Julie (Melinda Clarke) participated in her fair share of May-December romances as part of The O.C. cast, even having an affair with her daughter's ex-boyfriend Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). But it was her age-gap marriage to Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale) — the two-decades-older father of her friend Kristen — that earns her a spot on this list. 

Megan Draper (Mad Men)

The second wife of Don Draper (Jon Hamm) was the already younger Betty (January Jones), who was six or seven years his junior. But his third bride, Megan (Jessica Paré), was even younger than that: per The Daily Beast, Megan was somewhere between 25 and 26 years old this season, about 15 years younger than her husband and little more than a decade older than his daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka).

Fran Fine (The Nanny)

Mr. Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) was a fortysomething widower and father of three when Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) ended up on his doorstep selling makeup and later became not only the nanny but the stepmother of his children. And though Fran lying about her age is a running joke throughout the CBS sitcom — in one late episode, even the FBI can't verify her real birthdate — it's clear that she's at least a decade younger than her husband. 

April Ludgate (Parks and Recreation)

There was an eight-year age difference between coworkers-turned-spouses April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) in Parks and Recreation. It was revealed during the first season of the beloved NBC sitcom that April was 19 years old while Andy was 28, an age gap which, though totally legal, didn't actually adhere to Andy's "half my age, plus seven" dating rule. 

Cheryl Mabel (According To Jim)

Though we actually don't learn the age of suburban mom Cheryl (played by Courtney Thorne-Smith) during eight seasons of the ABC sitcom According to Jim, it's safe to assume that the TV wife is more youthful than her onscreen hubby Jim (Jim Belushi), given that the actress playing her is 12 years younger than her co-star. 

Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

Mary Tyler Moore was 24 when she began playing Laura Petrie, the stylish, capris-panted wife of TV writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961. Moore was eleven years younger than the show's eponymous star, an age difference that Van Dyke revealed to Entertainment Tonight initially gave him pause. However, show creator Carl Reiner assured the actor: "I said, 'Nobody's going to know...Nobody ever even mentioned it. The first time they kissed on the pilot, that was it. They were together."

Princess Diana (The Crown)

Some TV couple age gaps are rooted in reality. Case in point, the age difference between the then-Prince of Wales, Charles III, and his 12-years-younger bride, Princess Diana, portrayed in Netflix's historical drama The Crown by Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin in seasons 3 and 4, and Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki in seasons 5 and 6. 

Alicent Hightower (House Of The Dragon)

The fact that King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) married his daughter's best friend, Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), isn't the only awkward part about their relationship — there's also that considerable age difference. In George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood, 30-year-old Viserys is 11 years older than his young bride; however, the onscreen age gap is much larger, with Viserys played by 50-year-old Considine and frequently in poor health in the fantasy series. 

Joanna Loudon (Newhart)

Mary Frann, best known for her role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Bob Newhart's character on the CBS sitcom Newhart, was 13 years older than her iconic co-star. Per that infamous series finale, the storylines from the small-town sitcom all ended up being a dream inside the mind of Bob Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show, so it seems like a much younger TV wife was simply wishful thinking. 

Wanda Maximoff (WandaVision)

Given that WandaVision picked up just a few weeks after that big old Blip in Avengers: Endgame, we know that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was still 28 years old in the Disney+ miniseries. As for her android husband, Vision (Paul Bettany) was technically only six at the time of the show, since he was "created" in 2015's Age of Ultron. But things get even more complicated when you consider that Bettany is nearly two decades older than his onscreen wife. 

Rhonda Volmer (Big Love)

HBO's polygamy drama Big Love saw many big age-gap marriages in its five seasons, which ran on the network from 2006 to 2011, but the couple with the largest disparity was octogenarian Juniper Creek prophet Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) and his teen bride-to-be Rhonda Volmer (Daveigh Chase).

Peg Bundy (Married... with Children)

Katey Sagal started her role as Peggy Bundy on Married... with Children when she was 33 years old, eight years junior to her male counterpart Ed O'Neill, who played Al Bundy. However, Sagal mentioned in several interviews over the years that she always imagined Peg to be even younger than Al; in a season 11 episode, her character jokes that she was 9 years old and Al 18 when they wed. 

Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)

As is the case with many Game of Thrones characters, both Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage) and his younger missus Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) were aged up a few years from the A Song of Ice and Fire books for the HBO series. In the fantasy novels, Sansa is said to be 13 years old and Tyrion 26 at the time of their marriage; in the TV show, however, the Stark daughter was 15 and the Lannister lad around 34. 

Fiona Gallagher (Shameless)

With an absentee mother and an alcoholic father, Fiona Gallagher (Emma Rossum) was forced to grow up early as the matriarch of the Gallagher clan in Showtime's Shameless. So it wasn't too much of a surprise when the 23-year-old was set to wed Sean Pierce (Dermot Mulroney), the fortysomething owner of her employer Patsy's Pies. However, their marital plans fell through when his troubled past came back to haunt them. 

Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy)

In the season 1 script for the long-running medical drama, then-surgical intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was described as 32 years old, making her older than the rest of the mid-twenties interns but about seven years younger than her McDreamy one-night stand and eventual husband, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). 

Anna Smith (Downton Abbey)

Anne Smith (Joanne Froggatt) met her future husband, John Bates (Brendan Coyle) in the very first episode of Downton Abbey, when the man is hired as the new valet to Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). By the end of season 2, they would marry, despite a solid 15-year age difference between them. 

Connie McDowell (NYPD Blue)

Even the producers of the ABC procedural NYPD Blue were concerned about pairing up Dennis Franz's Andy Sipowicz and Charlotte Ross's much younger Connie McDowell for the detective's third marriage. Executive producer Bill Clark likened turning the characters into a romantic couple to "walking onto a minefield," telling The Los Angeles Times: “I can say I don’t think in all of the years on the show any decision has had as much effort put into it like this one.”

Penny Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory)

Onscreen, the age difference between Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and his neighbor-turned-wife Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is about five years, but behind-the-scenes, the IRL discrepancy is even larger: born in 1975, Galecki is a whole decade older than his co-star. 

Natasha Naginsky (Sex and the City)

The youthfulness of Natasha Naginsky (Bridget Moynahan), the 26-year-old second wife of fortysomething Mr. Big (Chris Noth), is a major point of contention for Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and the rest of the Sex and the City girls. However, despite being younger than the rest, Natasha proves to be the only one with real maturity, handling Carrie and Big's messy affair with strength and dignity. 

Abishola Wheeler (Bob Hearts Abishola)

Looks like Bob hearts younger women. In the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell) falls for Nigerian nurse Abishola Adebambo (Folake Olowofoyeku) while being treated at the hospital for a mild heart attack. Along with their cultural differences, there is also a generation gap between the couple: Bob is in his fifties and while Abishola's age is never stated in the show, it's safe to assume she's in her thirties like actress Olowofoyeku. 

Margot Sauerbruch (Charité at War)

In the German drama Charité at War, Doctor Margot Sauerbruch (Luise Wolfram) is nearly three decades younger than her husband Ferdinand Sauerbruch (Ulrich Noethen), who is the head of surgery at Berlin's Charité hospital. In fact, Margot is much closer in age to her stepson Peter (Maximilian Klas) than his father.

Esther Keyes (The Handmaid's Tale)

In the dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale, women and girls are taken as wives as long as they are fertile to boost birthrates. For example, Esther Keyes (Mckenna Grace), is only 14 years old when she is placed into an arranged marriage to the elderly Commander Keyes (Bill MacDonald). However, Esther rebels against the oppression and ends up slowly poisoning her older husband. 

Barbra Jean Hart (Reba)

It's become a cliché for a man to move on from his first marriage by marrying a much younger bride for his second, but that's exactly what happened in The WB comedy Reba. Reba Hart's (Reba McEntire) life was upended when her husband of 20 years, Brock (Christopher Rich), decided to divorce her after getting his dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Melissa Peterman) — who was half his age — pregnant. 

Marcia Roy (Succession)

Even at two decades younger than her husband, the in-her-60s Marcia Roy (Hiam Abbass) was a significantly more age-appropriate partner for powerful media-mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) than his even younger secretary-slash mistress Kerry Castellabate (Zoë Winters), who was only in her thirties. 

Sara Sidle (CSI)

CSI fans were in for a surprise in the season 6 finale of the CBS police procedural, when Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and Gil Grissom (William Petersen) ended up in bed with each other. The coupling was even more unexpected, given the age gap between the two characters, who later married in season 10: Grissom was not only Sara's boss but also 15 years older than her. 

Shelly Tambo (Northern Exposure)

Shelly Tambo (Cynthia Geary) was first introduced on the Alaska-set CBS dramedy Northern Exposure as the young girlfriend of sexagenarian Holling Vincoeur (John Cullum). She initially has a difficult time getting Holling down the altar, as the storied lifespans of the Vincoeur males has him worries that, despite being more than 40 years older than Shelly, he could outlive her for decades with a broken heart. 

Rachel Gatina (One Tree Hill)

The name "Rachel Gatina" is pretty notorious among One Tree Hill fans and for good reason: Danneel Harris's character had a long history of manipulation and promiscuity in the teen drama. And that drama didn't stop when she married Dan Scott, the father of her former Tree Hill schoolmates Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty).

Elena Gilbert (The Vampire Diaries)

Though Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) looked around the same age as her primary love interests Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) — the latter of whom she married in the season 8 finale episode — both men were significantly older than her as they were, of course, vampires. (Damon was 169 years old and Stefan was seven years younger in The Vampire Diaries pilot.) 

Nicole Wright (True Blood)

In the sixth season of HBO's fantasy drama True Blood, Merlotte's Bar and Grill owner Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) meets the much younger supernatural rights activist Nicole Wright (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). Despite the large age gap (there are 17 years between the performers) and the fact that they're different species (he a shapeshifter, she a mere human), the twosome goes on to leave Bon Temps together, marry and have children, as revealed in the show's epilogue. 

TV shows come and TV shows go, but sometimes fans help to boost a series so much that it sticks around for a looooong time. It may seem that our favorite dramas and comedies are always gone way too soon, but there are an impressive number of popular shows that actually stuck around for the long haul. Here now is a list of 32 shows that incredibly ran for more than 250 episodes.

Grey's Anatomy

It was in 2019 that the popular and formerly Ellen Pompeo-led drama, Grey’s Anatomy, celebrated a big milestone when it officially became the longest-running medical show by surpassing the 331-episode record of another series you may have heard of, ER.

Family Guy

For every immediate success, there’s also at least one long-running series that got off to a bumpy start, and Fox’s hit comedy Family Guy fits that bill. Originally canceled after the third season finished airing in 2002, network execs changed their minds after strong DVD sales and syndicated rerun ratings proved the series still had legs. It’s gone on to become one of the best-animated TV shows of all time.

Frasier

No series survives 11 seasons on network TV for nothing, and Frasier’s many accolades during its run certainly prove that rule. Of course, the series had a very solid jumping-off point, with Kelsey Grammer’s fussy academic lead, Frasier Crane, having been a strong and beloved part of the Cheers cast since 1984 by the time his spinoff kicked off in 1993. Frasier is one of the longest-running live-action characters on prime-time television.

 Lassie

You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Lassie, seeing as how the series ended over 50 years ago, but it made quite the impact when it was on. The show, a drama about the adventures of the titular heroic collie and her friends/owners, began in 1954 and remarkably lasted through 1973, racking up 19 seasons and 591 episodes. 

NCIS

You’ve likely heard of NCIS, considering that long dominated viewership on a regular basis, and has been known to top the ratings for a year more than once since its debut in 2003. The procedural crime drama about a team that investigates naval crimes has been so successful that it’s spawned multiple spinoffs (most of them also long-running) over the years.

Supernatural

Fantasy/horror series don’t usually get much time to shine, but that cannot be said for Supernatural. The CW show that followed brothers Dean and Sam Winchester as they hunted the United States to stop supernatural beings like vampires, werewolves, witches and demons from hurting people and destroying the world ran for a whopping 15 seasons and became the longest-running live-action fantasy in America by its eleventh season.

Hawaii Five-0

In 2010, we got a reboot of this classic series that was a success story in its own right. But, it was the original Hawaii Five-0 starring Jack Lord that aired from 1968 through 1980 that actually passed the 250-episode mark. We never would have gotten that iconic theme song otherwise, and may never have casually begun calling all police in the U.S. the “five-0” without it.

Bob's Burgers

We certainly haven’t forgotten about the impact that animation has had on primetime TV, and one hit that beat the odds is Bob’s Burgers. The series focuses on the Belcher family (parents Bob and Linda, their kids Tina, Gene and Louise), their struggling mom-and-pop burger joint, and their many friends and family, who reside in a quirky seaside town. It’s been a hit ever since its 2011 premiere and even has a theatrically released movie from 2022 to its name.

Dallas

Nighttime soap operas used to be big business, and one that ruled for over a decade was Dallas. Focused on the scheming, rich Ewing family and their oil business in the titular city, the drama ran for 14 seasons from 1978 through 1991, spawned a popular spinoff we’ll talk about later, and even led to a revival that began in 2012 and ran for three seasons.

Blue Bloods

Of all the shows canceled in 2024, Blue Bloods hurt the most for fans and cast members alike. The police drama that brought Tom Selleck back to weekly television focuses on cases of the week and how they affect a family of cops in New York City, the Reagans. 

The Simpsons

If you know anything about TV for the past 30 or so years, you must have known that The Simpsons would be on here. The animated comedy about the eponymously named family and their many friends, family, allies and foes in Springfield, USA is an institution at this point. It stands as the longest-running American scripted primetime show, American sitcom and animated show in the States.

Criminal Minds

As we’ve seen, viewers love crime solvers, and they embraced another team of them with the FBI agents of Criminal Minds. The criminal profilers we watched traveled the country to catch unsubs who’d committed some heinous acts, and the show was so popular that after it ended in 2020 with Season 15, it was brought back a mere two years later with Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+.

ER

Do you know what other genre of series seems to have enduring popularity? Medical shows. And, for a long time, there was none more famed than NBC’s ER. The drama that made George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle and many others household names started in 1994 and ran for 15 seasons with a total of 331 episodes, lasting through a number of cast changes. For many, it’s still the benchmark of what a medical drama should be.

American Dad!

A lot of the credit to our love of primetime animation over the past few decades goes to Fox, which was also home to another of Seth MacFarlane’s notable wacky comedies: American Dad! The series ran for 11 seasons there, and then moved to TBS.

Law & Order: SVU

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a spinoff. A spinoff that went on to surpass it's original show, Law & Order both in the number of seasons and in the number of episodes. It's just remarkable. 

Gunsmoke

So, what shows could have beaten SVU when it comes to episode numbers, aside from The Simpsons and Lassie? You guessed it: Gunsmoke! The Western series following U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and friends ran for two decades, from 1955 through 1975, and racked up 635 episodes.

King Of The Hill

It seems we just never get enough of our animated families, and the same was true of Hank, Peggy and Bobby Hill on Fox’s King of the Hill. The comedy was a hit for 13 seasons and makes the list with 259 episodes.

Knots Landing

You’ll remember what a big deal Dallas was, managing to air 357 episodes. Well, its fellow nighttime soap spinoff, Knots Landing, was also a big hit. It ran for 14 seasons and 344 episodes.

Murder, She Wrote

Cozy mysteries have never really gone out of style, but they used to be all over TV, and Murder, She Wrote is still the favorite of many despite it having been off the air for nearly 30 years as of this writing. The Angela Lansbury-led drama about a mystery writer who solves crimes in her small, murder-prone community of Cabot Cove, Maine had a great run from 1984 through 1996. 

The Jeffersons

If you’d like to talk about some of the longest-running sitcoms, The Jeffersons lands squarely in that category. Going for 11 seasons from 1975 through 1985, this Norman Lear hit that followed an upwardly mobile Black couple after they moved from Queens to Manhattan to begin a fancier life was a spinoff of All in the Family that surpassed its parent show by netting 253 episodes, compared with the earlier series’ 205.

Cheers

Sometimes it takes a bit for a show to really catch on, and that was the case with Cheers. The comedy, set largely in the eponymous Boston bar, was so close to ranking last during its inaugural 1982-83 season that it was nearly canceled. As we know, however, things did pick up, and enough that the show would last for 11 seasons and launch the careers of Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer and more.

Married...With Children

Fox hit pay dirt again in 1987 with Married…with Children. Seen as the first risqué sitcom to air on American network TV, the show that followed the Bundy family rode all of its controversies through 11 successful seasons and ended as the longest-running live-action sitcom from the network.

The Big Bang Theory

After a slow start in the first two seasons, Season 3 saw The Big Bang Theory (about a group of scientists and their pretty neighbor) begin to take off, eventually becoming one of the most-watched comedies of its time. The series ran for 12 seasons, until 2019, and spawned multiple spinoffs.

Law & Order

DUNH DUNH. Those serious, gavel-esque tones are still familiar to everyone who’s paid any attention to television crime dramas over the past few years, as even though Law & Order (which began in 1990 and led to numerous spinoffs, including the previously mentioned SVU) originally ended its run after 20 seasons in 2010, not only has it been in syndication for decades, but in 2021 it was revived and added more to its episode count. 

CSI

We got a very different kind of crime procedural in 2000 when CSI premiered, and we adored it. The Vegas-set drama that liked to zoom in on wounds not only began a franchise that led to a number of spinoffs, but the original show ran for 15 seasons and had a three-season revival that meant it wrapped with 378 episodes. 

The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet

Here’s another series you can be forgiven for not realizing it had a long run. The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet (which focused on the titular married couple and their family) began way back in 1952 and ended in 1966. While it’s not our longest-running live-action sitcom (that honor goes to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), it does still have more episodes than any other at 435.

Two And A Half Men

From powerhouse sitcom creator Chuck Lorre (who was also behind The Big Bang Theory), Two and a Half Men was yet another megahit. The series followed down-on-his-luck divorced dad Alan and his son after having to move in with Alan’s rich, partying bachelor brother, Charlie. The comedy ran from 2003 through 2015.

My Three Sons

Don’t remember My Three Sons? That’s OK, because it ended its 12-season run in 1972. The comedy that followed a widower and, yes, his three young sons, was clearly beloved and racked up an impressive 380 episodes.

NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue quickly became one of our most acclaimed (and controversial) police dramas, which meant big business and a long run. Lasting for 12 seasons, from 1993-2005, it was ABC’s longest-running hour-long drama until Grey’s Anatomy left it in the dust in 2016.

Beverly Hills, 90210

This is our last nighttime soap, but it was a doozy. Beverly Hills, 90210 was the first primetime teen drama to become a pop culture touchstone, launching the careers of stars like Jenny Garth, Luke Perry, and the late Shannen Doherty. With 10 seasons (1990-2000), it led to a franchise of five spinoffs/revivals, though most were short-lived, with the exception of Melrose Place.

Perry Mason

Series about those in the legal profession can give thanks to Perry Mason, one of the first such shows to garner both critical acclaim and mass popularity. The drama followed the title character, an L.A. criminal defense attorney, as he attempts to prove his clients' innocence (usually after they’re accused of murder). After nine successful seasons, which ended in 1966, the show eventually led to a short-lived revival and a long run of 30 made-for-TV films.

NCIS: Los Angeles

And here we have another of the uber-popular NCIS franchises, this one focusing on Naval investigators in Los Angeles. For a spinoff, 14 seasons (2009-2023) and 323 episodes is nothing to sneeze at.

As you can see, TV fans have helped to keep many of their favorite shows on the air for well over 250 episodes, and there’s no doubt that this list will continue to grow!

A lot of 2024 shows were canceled this spring, including some fan-favorites like So Help Me Todd, CSI, and NCIS: Hawai’i. CBS has addressed the decision to pull the shows from the lineup as the fall 2024 TV schedule comes together, and we’ve heard about the new shows crowding much-needed slots and that “tough choices” had to be made when it came to favoring some projects over others. Now, however, a CBS head honcho has confirmed the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA Strikes did play a role.

How The Strikes ACTUALLY Factored In

In a press conference, CBS’ head honcho Amy Reisenbach spoke with reporters about the decisions that were ultimately made. While one might think the Hollywood strikes would have made it easy to figure out which shows were worthwhile and which may have not been making the cut, (via Variety) the President of Entertainment actually said shows came back after the strikes “really strong.”

While some deals were lost and shows and impending projects were canceled amidst the strikes, the stuff that came back last TV season apparently came back strong. 

It’s a good problem to have I guess. Unlike some of the other TV and cable networks in recent years, CBS still has a glut of popular programs – and they have relatively large audience bases, unlike some of the networks that are struggling to rope in younger viewers during the great streaming shift. That’s why there’s such a rallying cry when shows like So Help Me Todd get canceled. Sure, this was one of the lower-rated programs on the Eye Network, but that show was still garnering way more eyeballs than programming on say AMC or even fellow network TV channel Fox. 

Ultimately, CBS dumped a few of its least popular shows in order to give programming like the upcoming Kathy Bates Matlock reboot and the prequel series NCIS: Origins a chance to shine. Reisenbach also said “it is incumbent” upon herself and other individuals at CBS to “keep the schedule fresh, keep momentum going.” At the end of the day, tough choices had to be made. 

Could Canceled Shows Head To Paramount+? 

Hopefully the network will keep "momentum going;" otherwise it will have a bunch of disgruntled fans on its hands with very little to show for it. Meanwhile NCIS: Hawai’i fans and more have been starting campaigns in the hopes the shows will find a life elsewhere. Paramount Plus seemed like it could be a fine place for that, but CEO George Cheeks indicated that is unlikely to be an option for the aforementioned shows, even though S.E.A.L Team and more previously made the transition.

I get the appeal there, as S.E.A.L. Team's boss has been candid the shift to streaming has been "liberating." But that quote doesn't give me a ton of hope. 

Meanwhile, ABC has already released its fall schedule, and NBC has filled its fall slots as well, but we only have an inkling regarding what’s coming to CBS. One thing seems likely though: Given how many programs were canceled this spring, I’m thinking a lot of audiences are going to be looking for new content to tune into this fall. Given all the new content coming to CBS, it may be a good place to start. 

One of the main things classic mystery shows like Columbo and modern crime dramas like Sherlock have in common is that they center around not just good detectives, but incredibly intelligent investigators who find unique ways to solve crimes or other mysteries.

But who are the smartest detectives to ever grace the small screen? Well, let us solve that mystery for you as we break down a few dozen of the greatest of all time.

Inspector Columbo (Columbo)

“One more thing” is a phrase that viewers of Columbo loved to hear just as much as the show’s various criminals and bad players feared it. Peter Falk’s titular detective often put on the impression that he wasn’t putting it all together, but in that brain of his, he had it all figured out, which makes him seem even brighter.

Theo Kojak (Kojak)

Telly Savalas’ Theo Kojak wasn’t just a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense detective, he was also one who had the perfect mix of street and book smarts. Don’t let his iconic lollipop fool you, this NYPD investigator didn’t mess around one bit and could stand up to anyone and everyone both with his brawn and his brain.

Luther (Luther)

John Luther, played by Idris Elba throughout the duration of the BBC series’ run plus a Netflix movie, wasn’t necessarily a morally superior detective, but the high-ranking and embattled member of London’s SCU was the best when it came to solving crimes. He always had a plan, as well as one on the back burner when stuff eventually hit the fan.

Jimmy McNulty (The Wire)

Dominic West’s Jimmy McNulty, a character from The Wire who appeared in the most episodes, could have probably been Baltimore’s greatest police officer if he didn’t allow himself to get in the way. Despite his relationship issues, insubordination, and morally questionable decisions, he was a cop through and through and an extremely intelligent investigator.

Batman (Batman: The Animated Series) 

They don’t call Batman the world’s greatest detective for no reason. Throughout Batman: The Animated Series, the Caped Crusader gets to the bottom of a myriad of crimes, disappearances, and strange happenings in his tireless fight to clean the streets of Gotham and put no-gooders in Arkham.

Jessica Fletcher (Murder, She Wrote)

There are countless reasons why we miss Murder, She Wrote, but at the top of that list is the intelligence, warmth, and pure likeability of the series’ main character, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). The idea of a mystery writer becoming a detective and solving all manner of crimes seems far-fetched, but the qualities listed above made Fletcher one of TV’s great criminal minds.

Rustin "Rust" Cohle (True Detective)

Do you think a big dummy could come up with something like “Time is a flat circle”? Nah, Rustin “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) in True Detective’s first season is without a doubt one of the smartest detectives to ever take the screen. This guy spent decades getting to the bottom of what some thought was an unsolvable crime. Was he odd? Totally. Dumb? Not at all.

Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

There have been so many different Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows over the years, but one of the best representations of the iconic detective is Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal in Sherlock. Though rude and hard to deal with at times, this remarkably talented sleuth with an unparalleled intellect was in a league of his own.

Adrian Monk (Monk)

Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk could very well be one of the greatest TV detectives of all time, no matter how you cut it. Tasked with solving all kinds of unconventional cases, this private detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a range of other issues could do just about anything unless his various phobias got in the way.

James "Sonny" Crockett and Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs (Miami Vice)

James “Sonny” Crockett and Richard “Rico” Tubbs from Miami Vice were good detectives on their own, but together they were the best South Florida had to offer. Throughout the series, the due balanced their personal issues with those of the department all while getting to the bottom of some nasty crimes requiring both their brains.

Olivia Benson (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson has been a major force on Law and Order: SVU ever since the show’s debut back in 1999, and during that time, she’s been instrumental in solving some serious crimes. Though she can sometimes lose her cool, the detective-turned-commanding officer can get to the bottom of some perilous situations better than most.

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie's Poirot)

There have been some great portrayals of Hercule Poirot over the years, including David Suchet’s take on the famous character in Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Throughout the show’s 13 seasons, the legendary detective used his brains and wits to bring an end to all kinds of mysteries. And just when it looked like Poirot was about to be outdone, the mustached detective would pull off some trick and bring it home. 

Lennie Briscoe (Law & Order)

If there is one character from the original Law and Order series that folks remember the most (at least on the detective side of the show), it would have to be Jerry Orbach’s Lennie Briscoe. Despite his rough-and-tumble demeanor and hardened attitude, this homicide detective had no problem solving murders, even if he had to put someone in a corner.

Lester Freamon (The Wire)

Behind just about every great idea in The Wire was Clarke Peters’ Lester Freamon, an intelligent, wise, and loyal detective from the Baltimore Police Department. Though a bit prickly at times (aren’t they all?), Lester was essentially the father figure of the Major Crimes Unit and had decades of experience.

Frank Pembleton (Homicide: Life On The Street)

Frank Pembleton, played by the late, great Andre Braughter, was essentially the key member of the Homicide: Life on the Street ensemble cast and one of the smartest characters ever created by Tom Fontana and David Simon. Both eccentric and intelligent, the young detective constantly found new and unorthodox ways to go about murder investigations.

Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Don’t let Veronica Mars’ (Kristen Bell) age make you think she’s not a capable, or smart, detective, as this crafty private eye is probably one of the best to ever do it on the small screen. Throughout the original Veronica Mars series, the film adaptation, and the revival series years later, this sleuth was wise beyond her years.

Jim Rockford (The Rockford Files)

On top of having a banger of a theme song, The Rockford Files also featured one of the best TV detectives with James Garner’s Jim Rockford. Brash, daring, and wildly smart, this private eye could hold his own both physically and mentally.

Bunk Moreland (The Wire)

Though prone to make mistakes and lapses in judgment alongside Jimmy McNulty, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Piere) was honestly one of the smartest and hardest-working detectives featured on The Wire. Plus, that one scene in “Old Cases” is perhaps one of the greatest TV moments of all time.

Virgil Tibbs (In The Heat Of The Night)

Taking over a role made famous by Sidney Poitier two decades earlier was no easy task, but Howard Rollins did a masterful job of playing Virgil Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night. Not only was he great when solving cases, but his mental chess with Carroll O’Connor’s Police Chief Bill Gillespie was about as good as it gets.

Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)

Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is technically an FBI special agent on Twin Peaks, but there’s no way we could make a list of the smartest TV detectives and not include the iconic character. His idiosyncrasies, his love of coffee and pie, and his inability to let things go all make Agent Cooper someone anyone would want investigating a case.

John Munch (Homicide: Life On The Street)

Richard Belzer’s John Munch is undeniably one of the most annoying detectives to ever grace the small screen, but part of that is because he’s also undeniably one of the smartest. Throughout Homicide: Life on the Street and Law and Order: SVU. 

Thomas Magnum (Magnum, P.I.)

Thomas Magnum is up there in the rankings of the best Tom Selleck characters, and it’s not just because he looked cool and kicked a lot of butt on Magnum, P.I. Behind the mustache, behind the cool shirts, behind the great cars there was a big brain, one who knew that nuns don’t work on Sundays.

Shawn Spencer (Psych)

Did Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) actually have psychic abilities that allowed him to solve “unsolvable” crimes? It’s debatable. What isn’t though is the fact that this crime consultant was outrageously smart, had a photographic memory, and used unmatched observational skills to pull off some impressive feats.

Peter Burke (White Collar)

The more by-the-books and old-fashioned member of White Collar’s FBI White Collar Crime Unit, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) is as smart as he is thorough in anything he does. He definitely takes a more no-nonsense approach to his day-to-day than Matt Bomer’s Neal Caffrey, which makes them a dynamic duo.

Kima Greggs (The Wire)

When talking about incredibly smart characters from The Wire, Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) is near the top of the list. Throughout the show’s five seasons, she constantly pushed herself to the next level, both physically and mentally. One of the most dedicated members of the show’s core unit, she was also one of the most articulate and methodical.

Stella Gibson (The Fall)

Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) from The Fall is not only one of the smartest TV detectives, she’s also one of the best. Her tactics in tracking down serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) were both unorthodox and ahead of the curve, and it’s hard to imagine the killings would have stopped without her.

Sergeant Philip Fish (Barney Miller)

Though some will remember the late Abe Vigoda more from his portrayal of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather, for the sake of this story we’re going to focus on his brilliant take on Sergeant Philip K. Fish on Barney Miller and the spinoff series, Fish. He didn’t appear in every episode of the classic sitcom, but the wise-cracking detective did make his mark on the series throughout its run. Grumpy, smart, seasoned, and hilarious, Fish knew how to solve a case while also making us laugh. 

Danny Reagan (Blue Bloods)

Whenever the conversation comes up about the Blue Bloods cast, it doesn’t take all that long before Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan enters the conversation. One of the major characters throughout the show’s historic run on CBS, this hard-nosed NYPD detective has both street smarts and keen police skills up his sleeve and is ready to use both whenever and wherever needed. If there’s a CBS detective you’d want on your case (or not covering it if you’re a perp), this would be the guy.

Gil Grissom (CSI)

Even though Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is technically a forensic entomologist and not a detective, he’s still a worthy addition to this list. For the first nine seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Gil was the man of the CBS crime drama. With a high level of expertise, an unmatched intellect, and attention to detail, this Las Vegas-based investigator could solve just about anything that crossed his desk.

Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

Simon Baker, who was great in George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead, was also superb in his portrayal of Patrick Jane on CBS’ The Mentalist. Jane, a psychic-turned-consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, used his unique set of skills and mental abilities to help the CBI solve all kinds of murders, most of which couldn’t have been wrapped up if not for him.

Jim Brass (CSI)

Played by Paul Guilfoyle, Jim Brass was a dedicated Las Vegas Police detective who worked closely with the key team on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Though not soft on crime, Brass did play things by the book and preferred to use conversation and other non-violent police skills over more aggressive and violent methods. 

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

Portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler, Dr. Spencer Reid was a quirky and hyper-intelligent special agent who was crucial to the happenings of Criminal Minds. Though his personality rubbed some the wrong way, there’s no denying the fact that he was legitimately the smartest person in any given room.

Not a TV season goes by where the average television lover can’t name at least one series that was their favorite. Whether it’s brand new or has been on the air for a while, sometimes we adore shows that everyone else seems to be high on as well, because the numbers tell us just how popular they are. With that, each season has a winner when it comes to viewership, so here are 32 TV shows that topped the ratings for a year.

Texaco Star Theater (1950-1951)

The main ratings system for television programs didn’t start until 1950, and the show that took the top spot for that first major season was a comedy/variety series that crossed over from radio: Texaco Star Theater. The show had actually moved to television two years prior and eventually became known for giving the career of comedian Milton Berle a giant boost, as the host was called “Mr. Television” because of his work here.

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (1951-1952)

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was hosted by personality Arthur Godfrey, who employed several “talent scouts” to bring in new singers, comedians and musicians that they thought had the goods to make it in the entertainment business, with an audience applause meter deciding the winner. The show led the ratings for just one season but ran for 10 seasons and helped to launch the careers of contestants like Patsy Cline and Don Knotts.

I Love Lucy (1951-1955, 1956-1957)

Here’s a comedy that everyone who knows their TV history will be aware of and (probably) love: I Love Lucy. The legendary series, which starred Lucille Ball (who also helped create the sitcom) as the well-meaning but trouble-making wife of band leader Ricky Ricardo (played by Ball’s real husband, Desi Arnaz) is still well-known to this day for good reason, as it was also incredibly popular while it was on the air. It was the #1 scripted show from 1951-1955, then returned as the top show overall for the 1956-1957 TV season.

The $64,000 Question (1955-1956)

If you’re guessing that this is a game show, feel free to pat yourself on the back, give yourself a gold star or both, because you nailed it! The $64,000 Question saw competitors attempt to answer questions, with the potential prize money doubling as those queries got harder and the last question having a top value of…you guessed it again, $64,000. Despite its popularity, the show only lasted from 1955-1958, due to it becoming a part of the ‘50s quiz show scandals that surprised the nation and inspired the 1994 Robert Redford-directed movie, Quiz Show.

Gunsmoke (1957-1961)

Westerns used to be all the rage on the big and small screen, and Gunsmoke (a drama focused on U.S. Marshal Matt Dillion and other denizens of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s) has a very good reason to be counted among some of the most famous TV westerns. Not only did the show top the ratings from 1957-1961, but it ran for 20 seasons, which made it the longest-running live-action scripted series (a record that Law & Order tied in 2010) in US history until September 2019 (when Law & Order: SVU began its 21st season).

Wagon Train (1961-1962)

Again with a Western, and it won’t be the last one you’ll see here. Wagon Train, which followed the lives of wagon train conductors and their passengers on a trip from Missouri to California, offered numerous opportunities for big names like Bette Davis and Lee Marvin to show up in guest roles, and it helped this drama to the top of the ratings for the ‘61-’62 television season.

The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1964)

And we’re back with another comedy! Even if you weren’t around for the original run of The Beverly Hillbillies, you’ve likely come across the popular fish-out-of-water sitcom in syndicated repeats while flipping channels at some point. Following the Clampetts, a poor family from the mountains of Missouri, viewers watched as they adjusted to life in Beverly Hills after finding oil on their land and moving west. The comedy was a hit with audiences, and landed at the top of the ratings for the first two of its nine seasons.

Bonanza (1964-1967)

This 1860s-set drama might have given pop culture the most famous fictional family ever to populate a Western: the Cartwrights. Viewers watched the weekly adventures of dad Ben and his three adult sons on Bonanza, as they ran their ranch in Nevada during and after the Civil War. The series ran for 14 seasons, becoming the second-longest-running Western on U.S. TV, and topped the charts for three seasons, from 1964 to 1967.

The Andy Griffith Show (1967-1968)

The last of its eight seasons saw The Andy Griffith Show as the top series in the land. Each entry followed the comedic life of widowed small-town sheriff Andy Taylor and his friends and family, which included future Happy Days star and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard as his son, Opie, and Don Knotts as his best friend/blundering deputy, Barney Fife.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1970)

Hosted by comedians Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was already rare for being a sketch comedy show, but its first season on the air also saw it become the only such show to lead in the ratings, which it then did for two seasons straight. Aside from featuring guest appearances from popular entertainers of the day, the series is also notable for introducing a wide audience to talents like Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin.

Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970-1971)

Unlike Westerns, medical shows have never really gone out of style, and one of the most popular of its time was Marcus Welby, M.D. an immediate hit when it debuted in 1969, the second season saw it top all others in the ratings as it followed its kind, but rule-breaking titular character as his methods clashed with his much younger medial partner, who was far more straight-laced.

All In The Family (1971-1976)

Chances are you’ve heard of All In the Family, even if you’ve never seen it, and there’s a good reason for that. The hit sitcom about working class bigot Archie Bunker and his family broke new ground for television comedies by featuring more realistic issues and discussion about controversial, of-the-moment topics. It worked, too, because the show led the pack for five of its nine seasons.

Happy Days (1976-1977)

As one of the biggest (and long-running) hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Happy Days quickly became a pop culture touchstone, even with the fact that it chronicled the family and friends of teenaged Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard, in his second hit show) in 1950s Milwaukee. Of course, not only did the comedy, which held the #1 position for the ‘76-’77 season, last for 11 seasons, but it also introduced us to Henry Winkler’s uber-cool Fonzie and led to the idea of something “jumping the shark” because of one of its infamous episodes.

Laverne & Shirley (1977-1979)

It seems only fair that another comedy set in the 1950s would take the top spot from Happy Days, especially since Laverne & Shirley was actually a spinoff of the aforementioned sitcom. Following the wholesome shenanigans of friends, roommates, and co-workers Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio, it proved almost as long-lasting and beloved as its parent series, topping the charts for two seasons in a row.

60 Minutes (1979-1980, 1982-1983, 1991-1994)

We’ve already seen some unscripted series lead the way in the ratings in the form of variety shows, but there is one news magazine that’s reliably had a grip on primetime TV over the years, as well: 60 Minutes. After coming out on top for a total of five seasons so far, it’s worth noting that the show is still going strong and doesn't show any sign of slowing down. 

Three's Company (1979-1980)

While 60 Minutes was ruling the roost during the ‘79-’80 television season, the show that first among scripted series was yet another massive hit that would become legendary. Three’s Company was farce at its best, as the friends and roommates played by John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt got involved in a number of ridiculous scrapes that had people howling with laughter for a total of eight seasons. 

Dallas (1980-1982, 1983-1984)

We’re about to enter some very soapy territory, as the early to mid-’80s were home to two of the biggest nighttime soap opera juggernauts in history. One of them, Dallas. The show focused on the Ewings, a feuding family of incredibly rich oil tycoons/ranchers who were memorably led into many schemes and/or crossed and double-crossed by Larry Hagman’s infamous J.R. Ewing. 

Dynasty (1984-1985)

What was the other mega-hit primetime soap, you ask? Well, it was none other than Dynasty. Chronicling the lives, loves and scandals of the Carringtons and their extended family, friends and business associates, the drama employed a number of salacious storylines and many on-screen brawls between leading ladies Joan Collins and Linda Evans (among others).

The Cosby Show (1985-1990)

For many years the gold standard in family comedies was The Cosby Show, and its cultural impact can’t be denied. Not only was it the first successful sitcom to focus on an affluent Black family, but it was #1 for five seasons in a row.

Cheers (1990-1991)

While not an immediate hit, the comedy set in the titular bar “where everybody knows your name” was eventually one of the biggest sitcoms of the ‘80s and ‘90s, so much so that the series finale in 1993 became the most watched single episode of television for the whole decade.

Seinfeld (1994-1995, 1997-1998)

If you were thinking that the only show to be proudly billed as being about “nothing” must land on this list somewhere, you were correct! Nearly 30 years after its polarizing finale the sitcom is still adored for everything from the Seinfeld cast to all of the ridiculous side characters that fans still love today. 

E.R. (1995-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001)

With a total of 15 seasons, no one who lived through the ‘90s or ‘00s can deny the power and popularity of ER. Making stars out of cast members like George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq LaSalle, Gloria Reuben and (a lot) more across its many drama-filled episodes about the staff at a fictional Chicago hospital, the show managed to capture the eyes of an adoring public and cement its place in TV history with several seasons in the top spot, though it was simply the #1 scripted show in 2000-2001, with it being bested by a series that’s still making news after its 46th season.

Survivor (2000-2001)

Congrats if you guessed that the only show bigger than ER for the '00-’01 season was the very first outing of the reality competition, Survivor. Following (usually) a new cast of hopeful winners each season and in a different tropical locale as they all try to “outwit, outlast, and outplay” their fellow competitors in a number of challenges, viewers just can’t seem to get enough, and many think it couldn’t exist without the one constant: host Jeff Probst.

Friends (2001-2002)

What is there to even say about the famed NBC sitcom about six friends living, loving, working (or not), and getting into hilarious scrapes that you don’t already know? How about the fact that despite its 10-season run and it being so comforting for millions to watch that even Selena Gomez binges Friends on her day off, that this pop culture phenomenon was only on top of the ratings for ONE SEASON?

CSI (2002-2005)

If you can count on a crime procedural to top the ratings for at least one season, it would certainly be one like CSI, which not only changed the police drama game by showing intense close-ups of bodily harm but doing it in an incredibly stylish way. It also ran for 15 seasons and launched a franchise with multiple spinoffs.

NCIS (2012-2013, 2015-2016)

Another long-time mega-hit that led to a number of also long-running spinoffs is NCIS, which is itself a spinoff of JAG. Surprisingly, this Naval crime procedural will soon be in its 22nd season and has never failed to bring in massive amounts of eyeballs, but has only stood atop the TV viewership mountain for two seasons.

Sunday Night Football (2011-2012, 2013-2015, 2018-2024)

Talk about a ratings winner! Several of the shows above came in for many seasons in second place, simply because America loves football, especially on Sunday nights. After starting on NBC in 2006, these weekend-ending NFL games have come out as the ultimate champion for a whopping nine seasons.

The Big Bang Theory (2016-2018)

The Big Bang Theory set the sitcom world on fire, leading to 12 seasons, two spinoffs and star-making turns for the cast, who played a group of nerdy young scientists looking for love and success in California while navigating their complex friendships.

American Idol (2005-2011)

Sometimes a reality competition can really grip the nation, and American Idol has done that during its 22 seasons (so far). Launching the careers of singers like talk show phenom Kelly Clarkson, EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, and country music superstar Carrie Underwood, the show was so popular that it only took two years after being canceled by Fox to begin another successful run on ABC.

Desperate Housewives (2007-2008)

The ‘07-’08 television season was a tough one for scripted shows. With multiple nights of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars ruling the airwaves, only one non-reality-competition show in primetime was mighty enough to capture enough viewers to be the top scripted series in all the land, and that was the super soapy Desperate Housewives, which helped to revitalize Teri Hatcher’s career while making actors like Eva Longoria a household name.

Yellowstone (2021-2022)

You’ll remember what a big deal football has been over the years, and only one scripted series was able to break through in the '21-’22 season to lead the season when it came to shows that need actors and dramatic plots filled with machinations, twists, wrongdoings and one attention-grabbing love story: Yellowstone, which made TV Westerns important again.

Tracker (2023-2024)

Even after all this time, we can still get some major surprises, and sometimes a show becomes a breakout hit right out of the gate. For the ‘23-’24 season, the three primetime NFL offerings took up the main top spots, but Tracker, starring This Is Us alum Justin Hartley as a loner with a troubled family who finds missing people for a living, came out on top when it comes to scripted series.

Now that you know exactly what won the ratings game and for which full seasons, maybe you’ll dedicate some time to binging some of these shows to see why people loved them so much.

Even though April and May signal new growth and the promise of more outdoor fun to come, it can be a difficult time for TV fans. Spring is always when a number of series get the ax to make way for new fall programming, and the 2024 TV schedule has delivered some sad news for viewers. CBS, especially, has cut bait on several shows with dedicated followings, with the delightful So Help Me Todd ending after two seasons, NCIS: Hawai’i delivering a frustrating cliffhanger of a series finale after being blindsided by cancellation, and CSI: Vegas getting the same bad news recently. Now, another CSI is in the works, but it’s really not what I was expecting.

What New CSI Show Is Coming After CSI: Vegas Was Canceled?

I don’t doubt that everyone reading this is one of the millions of fans who’ve been upset by CSI: Vegas joining the ever growing list of shows canceled and ending in 2024, with stars like franchise vet Marg Helgenberger also, of course, being saddened by the news. So, it was quite a surprise to hear that a new CSI show is on the way, but it’s actually not another spinoff. CBS just revealed its summer schedule, and Wednesday, June 26 will see the premiere of The Real CSI: Miami.

As you may have guessed, while this show takes its name and location from the David Caruso-starring series that ran for 10 seasons from 2002 through 2012, this is an unscripted show that will follow “gripping real-life crime cases and the cutting-edge forensic science used to solve them” in the south Florida city. Each episode of the new show, which is produced by CSI franchise masterminds Anthony Zuiker and Jerry Bruckheimer, offers viewers a look into a different case and “highlights that at the heart of every story there’s a victim and a family seeking justice.”

Another long-standing franchise on the network, NCIS, is enjoying continued scripted success even after the loss of Hawai’i (and two of its spinoffs, Los Angeles and New Orleans ending after lengthy runs), with it having recently celebrated its 1,000th episode overall and two new spinoffs (the upcoming NCIS: Origins and the soon to begin filming NCIS: Tony & Ziva) already being worked on. So, it’s especially surprising to see that the CSI franchise is being taken in such a different direction, and that it’s ready to go so quickly after the loss of Vegas.

Obviously, this has to be something that was in the works long before the decision was made to cut the newest spinoff/revival loose. Deadline noted that during a recent press conference, the CEO of CBS, George Cheeks, intimated that something new could be on the way, and said that the “franchise is very much alive and vibrant and you could imagine it coming back in many different ways.” And, it just so happens that giving CSI the opportunity to become one of the best true crime shows you can stream felt like the best next step.

It’s sad to see Vegas go, but at least it was part of a long TV legacy that fans will have a chance to enjoy a little bit longer once The Real CSI: Miami debuts this summer. 

The results of turning a hit TV series into a franchise can be hit-or-miss, to say the least. However, for every ill-received or mostly forgotten TV spin-off, there are many that managed to reach, or even exceed, the success of their predecessors. Take a look at some of our favorite examples below.

Frasier (Cheers)

Despite being added later in the series, Frasier Crane was one of the most beloved Cheers characters and right after it ended in 1993, Kelsey Grammer led the Frasier cast in his psychiatrist’s role’s self-titled spin-off. Like its parent series, it also lasted 11 seasons, won multiple Emmy Awards, and became one of the most acclaimed sitcoms of its time before being revived on Paramount+ in 2023.

Family Matters (Perfect Strangers)

Jo Marie Payton was on two seasons of Perfect Strangers as elevator operator Harriette Winslow before starring in the Family Matters cast in the same role for nine seasons. What initially began as a conventional family sitcom when it premiered in 1989 became a wildly successful cultural phenomenon with the addition of Jaleel White as Steve Urkel. 

Angel (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

David Boreanaz stole the show from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast as a good-natured bloodsucker named Angel and, eventually, earned his own series set in the same creature-infested universe. From 1999 until its 2004 cancellation, Angel followed the Boreanaz’s title character and other Buffy vets helping Los Angelenos with otherworldly problems.

Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad)

While he could have easily been viewed as merely the comic relief of the Breaking Bad cast, Bob Odenkirk — a former SNL writer and sketch comedy performer — experienced a career 180 by playing Saul Goodman. His performance as the shady lawyer only grew stronger when he became the center of the prequel series, Better Call Saul, which surpassed its predecessor in seasons (six) and Emmy snubs (53 nominations with zero wins, much to fans’ chagrin).

The Good Fight (The Good Wife)

The Good Wife was a CBS drama chronicling the personal and professional struggles of litigator Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies in a two-time Emmy-winning role) after a scandal lands her state attorney husband (played by Chris Noth) behind bars. Christie Baranski’s Diane Lockhart was the central focus of the sequel series, The Good Fight (exclusively available with a Paramount+ subscription), which earned two Emmy nominations during its six-season run.

The Facts Of Life (Diff'rent Strokes)

When Diff’rent Strokes debuted in 1978, Charlotte Rae’s Edna Garrett served as the Drummonds’ housekeeper. The following year, Rae reprised the role as the lead of The Facts of Life, in which she served as the housemother for boarding school students Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Tootie (Kim Fields), Natalie (Mindy Cohn), and Jo (Nancy McKeon).

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Star Trek)

While it was canceled after three years in 1969, Star Trek launched an out-of-this-world cultural phenomenon that lives on in several ongoing TV shows and even quite a few big-screen hits, as well. However, for some Trekkies, the best installment of the franchise is the multi-Emmy-winning Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was led by Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard for seven seasons.

The Punisher (Daredevil)

The first installment in a shared universe of Marvel TV shows originally exclusive to Netflix was Daredevil, which introduced Jon Bernthal in the role of Frank Castle in its second season. While the vengeful vigilante’s own spin-off only lasted two seasons, The Punisher was highly acclaimed, and Bernthal will continue playing the role into the future. 

Laverne & Shirley (Happy Days)

The long-running nostalgic sitcom Happy Days was the parent series of several well-known spin-offs, including Mork & Mindy and Joanie Loves Chachi, but easily the most successful of the bunch was Laverne & Shirley. Cindy Williams reprised her role as Shirley Feeney alongside Penny Marshall as the titular duo on the sitcom that became one of the most popular TV shows of its time and ran from 1976 to 1983.

Benson (Soap)

The most notorious scene-stealer from the cast of Soap — an acclaimed parody of daytime soap operas — was the late Robert Guillaume in the Emmy-winning role of Benson DuBois. The future Lion King voice cast member won his second Emmy when he reprised the character in his self-tilted spin-off, which saw him promoted from the Tates’ butler to working for a bumbling state governor. 

Xena: Warrior Princess (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)

The Kevin Sorbo-led Hercules: The Legendary Journeys begat two spin-offs — a prequel series called Young Hercules (starring Ryan Gosling in the title role) and Xena: Warrior Princess. The latter would run longer than its parent series (six years) and skyrocketed New Zealand-born Lucy Lawless to geek goddess status.

Boston Legal (The Practice)

James Spader originated the role of Alan Shore on Season 8 of The Practice before becoming one of the central figures of the legal drama’s direct continuation, Boston Legal. The series ran for more than 100 episodes and earned five Emmy Awards, including two for Spader and one for William Shatner as Denny Crane.

Melrose Place (Beverly Hills, 90210)

Among the the most popular ‘90s TV shows, two of the biggest titans of the serial drama category were Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. Both series were created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling and existed in the same universe, with Grant Show’s Jake Hanson being the main connection.

Maude (All In The Family)

Before Bea Arthur joined the Golden Girls cast, she was best known for her Emmy-winning performance as the title role of Maude from 1972 to 1978. The late actor originated the outspoken character on an episode of All in the Family in which she visits her cousin, Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), and butts heads with Edith’s husband, Archie (Carroll O’Connor).

Mayans M.C. (Sons Of Anarchy)

Two years after Sons of Anarchy had its final curtain call in 2014, FX debuted another tale of outlaw bikers, set near the California-Mexico border, called Mayans M.C. While led by a new character named Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (portrayed by J. D. Pardo), the series — which ended after five seasons in 2023 — also featured a few Sons of the Anarchy cast members, including Katey Sagal portraying Gemma Teller in the pilot.

House Of The Dragon (Game Of Thrones)

Even though many fans were disappointed by the Game of Thrones finale, that did not stop them from tuning into HBO’s prequel series. In addition to the stellar House of the Dragon cast, including Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, the fantasy epic’s stirring writing and gorgeous production design earned it rave reviews, multiple Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe win for Best Television Series - Drama after its first season.

NCIS (JAG)

Very rarely has a spin-off show outran its parent series, but that is the case with NCIS. Not only would the series last at least twice as long as JAG, which saw the debut of Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in its eighth season; but it also inspired multiple spin-offs of its own, including the long-running NCIS: Los Angeles.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Law & Order)

Before its revival in 2022, the initial run of Law & Order ran a whopping 20 seasons on NBC. The only subsequent installment in Dick Wolf’s franchise of crime dramas to last as long is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which was anchored by the chemistry between Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson.

Lou Grant (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

One of the most successful examples of a spin-off that was almost nothing like the original show is Lou Grant. Following the end of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Ed Asner earned his sixth and seventh Emmys for reprising the TV news producer on this more dramatic series in which he becomes a Los Angeles newspaper editor.

The Jeffersons (All In The Family)

After stealing the show on All in the Family as the Bunkers’ neighbors, George (Sherman Hemsley) and Louise “Weezy” Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) would “move on up to the East Side” in their own show. The Jeffersons only earned two Emmy Awards, but lasted an impressive 11 seasons and, in the process, became almost as influential as its parent series.

The Simpsons (The Tracey Ullman Show)

As the longest-running animated series of all time, The Simpsons has been around long enough that most modern audiences might not even remember (or were ever informed) about its origins. The dysfunctional family gained traction as a segment on The Tracey Ullman Show before creator Matt Groening developed a half-hour program based around them.

Batman Beyond (Batman: The Animated Series)

Most fans would agree that the all-time best Batman-related TV show is Batman: The Animated Series, but its futuristic follow-up, Batman Beyond, is not so far behind on that list. What started as a “terrible idea” (in the words of producer Bruce Timm to IGN) to reimagine the Dark Knight as a teenager evolved into an intriguing and inventive Neo-noir following an older Bruce Wayne (voiced by the late Kevin Conroy) mentoring his young successor, Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle).

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (The Andy Griffith Show)

Charmingly naive mechanic Gomer Pyle became a fan-favorite character on The Andy Griffith Show following his introduction in Season 3. Jim Nabors went on to reprise the role on another hit sitcom called Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in which the character becomes a marine. 

The Colbert Report (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart)

Few Daily Show correspondents made as grand an impact during host Jon Stewart’s legendary stint than Stephen Colbert as an over-the-top conservative version of himself. He went on to host his own, arguably funnier late-night Comedy Central original, The Colbert Report, before retiring the character for good when he was chosen to replace David Letterman on CBS’s Late Show.

Rhoda (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

The first spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, revolved around Valerie Harper in the title role returning to her native New York City, where she meets and marries Joe Gerard (David Groh). The latter seasons of the sitcom’s five-year run saw Rhoda becoming one of TV’s most iconic divorcees when she and Joe split.

CSI: Miami (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

The CSI franchise involves two series set in Vegas, another set in New York, a short-lived version dedicated to cybercrime, and is even set in the same universe as Without a Trace and Cold Case. Perhaps the one installment with the most cultural impact is CSI: Miami, with much credit due to David Caruso’s iconic performance as quip master, Lt. Horatio Caine.

Emergency! (Adam-12)

The pilot episode of Emergency! featured Martin Milner and Kent McCord as their respective characters from Adam-12, officers Peter Malloy and Jim Reed — establishing it as a spin-off of the police procedural. However, as MeTV.com recalls, a later episode featured some of Station 51’s firefighters watching an episode of its parent series, which is just one strange continuity error from an otherwise exciting and grounded drama.

The Flash (Arrow)

The CW’s shared universe of DC TV shows is collectively referred to as the “Arrowverse,” with Arrow being the one that started it all in 2012. One might argue that the best of these spin-offs (and one of the best modern superhero TV shows in general) is The Flash, starring Grant Gustin as a version of lightning-fast Barry Allen who was first introduced in Arrow’s second season.

Empty Nest (The Golden Girls)

A follow-up to The Golden Girls called The Golden Palace, in which the characters (sans Dorothy) manage a hotel together, was far less successful than Empty Nest, which was branched off from a 1987 Golden Girls episode. Notably, however, the series that came to be, and lasted seven seasons, merely borrowed the concept of the original backdoor pilot (a middle-aged couple with “empty nest syndrome”). It employed a whole new cast and characters, but still established the Golden Girls characters as their neighbors.

Justice League Unlimited (Justice League)

One of the most acclaimed DC TV shows is Justice League, which saw Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and others coming together amid an extra-terrestrial threat. The hit animated series continued in the form of Justice League Unlimited, which saw the crew expand to an innumerable quantity by employing even some of the most obscure and underrated characters from the comics.

The Parkers (Moesha)

After four seasons on the Brandy Norwood-led sitcom Moesha, Countess Vaughn left the show after UPN greenlit a sitcom focusing on her own fan-favorite character, Kim Parker. The Parkers lasted more than 100 episodes and featured a scene-stealing performance by future Oscar winner Mo’Nique as Kim’s mother, Nikki.

Knots Landing (Dallas)

Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) and Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark) from the blockbuster primetime soap opera, Dallas, were given a series of their own in 1979. Knots Landing turned out to be a blockbuster itself, lasting 14 seasons, much like its parent series.

Next time you see a spin-off to your favorite hit series, don’t be quick to judge. It could end up being as successful as any of these.

In the modern world of streaming, ratings don't really mean what they used to mean for most TV shows. Looking back, it's incredible how many people were tuning in for some of these famous shows' episodes with the highest ratings, so let's dig in and see what kind of numbers they drew. Warning: this story contains spoilers. 

ER - "Ambush" 

At its peak in the mid-1990s, ER was the most popular show on TV. It comes as no surprise that its highest-rated episode fits right in the middle of it. Episode 1 of Season 3, titled "Ambush" drew a whopping 42.71 million viewers, one of the highest-rated dramas of all time. 

The West Wing - "In The Shadow of Two Gunman" 

The West Wing is considered by many to be one of the best television shows of all time, especially the first four seasons. The Season 1 cliffhanger was of shots fired at President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) and 25.05 million people tuned in to the Season 2 premiere "In The Shadow Of Two Gunman" to see what happened. 

Breaking Bad - "Felina" 

By the time Breaking Bad came around, ratings numbers were completely different. With the dawn first of cable TV, then of streaming, TV shows didn't draw the same number of viewers network shows did at their peak. Still, the highest-rated episode was still watched by a respectable 10.28 million watchers. The episode was of course the series finale, "Felina." 

Better Call Saul - "Uno"

The Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul benefited from its connection to the hit AMC show, and when it debuted in 2016, the first episode drew its highest ratings through its run, 2.57 million viewers. 

Atlanta - "The Big Bang"

Looking at the numbers for Atlanta you can see how things have changed in the television landscape. The critically acclaimed show was very popular, but its numbers are dwarfed by older shows. The most-watched episode of the Donald Glover-driven show was the premiere with 1.08 million people tuning in. 

The Sopranos - "For All Debts Public and Private" 

This one is a bit of a surprise. The finale of The Sopranos was a huge deal and it felt like everyone in the world was tuning in. It is not, however, the highest-rated episode for the series. That distinction belongs to Episode 1 of Season 4, "For All Debts Public and Private." The show's peak reached 13.43 million people, which is really impressive for a pay channel.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - "Ch-Ch-Changes" 

For the first seven seasons of its run on CBS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation completely dominated the ratings for dramatic shows. It regularly drew 20-25 million viewers every week. It reached its apex with Episode 8 of Season 5 when 31.46 million viewers tuned in to  "Ch-Ch-Changes."

The Office - "Pilot" 

The Office remains one of the most beloved sitcoms ever. You might expect episodes like Pam and Jim's wedding to crush it ratings-wise, but it was actually the pilot episode, way back in 2005 that takes the title, with 11.23 million people. 

Roots - Final Episode

Okay, this is fudging a little bit. Roots was really a mini-series, not a regular show, but it's impossible not to include it because the ratings were so insane. It's estimated that 100 million people watched the final episode on PBS in 1977. 36.36 million TV sets were tuned in, which was 71% of the total TV viewership in its timeslot. 1 in 4 TVs in the whole country were tuned to Roots.

Lost - "Man of Science, Man of Faith" 

Lost took the TV world by storm when it debuted in 2004. By the end of Season 1, fans were glued to their sets every week. 23.47 million of those fans tuned in for the first episode of Season 2, "Man of Science, Man of Faith" to find out what was in the hatch. 

Magnum, P.I. - "Resolutions" 

Thomas Magnum has had an enduring legacy on TV, first with Tom Selleck in the role, and then with Jay Hernandez in the recent reboot of Magnum, P.I. In the original show's run, the ratings were generally good, though they fell off as the years went on. Still, the series finale showed just how popular the show was when, according to the fansite MagnumMania, the final episode drew 50.7 million viewers, ranking it 5th all-time for a single episode. 

This Is Us - "A Father's Advice"

While network shows have generally seen ratings decline over recent years, NBC's This Is Us bucked the trend and brought back the idea of "must see TV." The tear-jerker regularly drew high ratings throughout its 6 seasons run, peaking at 12.94 fans tuning in for Season 2, Episode 1 titled "A Father's Advice". 

The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air - "Just Say Yo"

Will Smith was just getting started on his acting career when The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air first aired in 1990. Two and a half seasons later, it was clear how popular he'd become when Episode 19 of Season 3, "Just Say Yo," found 30.6 million people tuning in to watch the hijinks of Will and Carlton making some bad decisions about some pills. 

Mad Men - "Person to Person" 

AMC's Mad Men stayed remarkably consistent through its entire seven season run. The ratings didn't fall off a cliff like so many shows do at some point. Sure, it's a more modern show, so the ratings aren't through the roof like the pre-cable era, but still 3.29 people watched as the series came to a close in Episode 14 of Season 6, called "Person to Person" when Don Draper finally seems human at the end. 

Dallas - "Who Done It" 

"Who shot J.R.?" was more than just a TV catchphrase. For the entire summer of 1980, people everywhere were asking the same question.  J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) getting shot at the end of Season 3 of Dallas remains to this day the most famous cliffhanger in TV history. Episode 1 of Season 4 reflects just what a huge deal it was when 61% of the TVs in the country tuned in to find out who did it, which translated to 38 million people at the time. The show dragged it out of course, and the ratings peaked for Episode 4 of that season when we all learned who actually did it. An astounding 76% of all the TVs in America were tuned to CBS for the episode "Who Done It." 53 million people. Just nuts. 

The Simpsons - "Bart Gets An F" 

The Simpsons holds a lot of TV records, as you would expect for a show that's been on since the first George Bush was President. Surprisingly, its highest-rated episode came very early on in its run. Season 2, Episode 1 "Bart Gets An F" remains the highest rating the show's ever gotten, with 33.6 million viewers. It's a classic episode, but you'd think something like "Who Shot Mr. Burns" would have eclipsed it, but nope. 

Seinfeld - "The Finale" 

It will come as no surprise that Seinfeld is responsible for one of the highest-rated episodes of all time. The final episode of the show, simply called "The Finale" drew an unbelievable 76.26 million viewers. Those are numbers that we will likely never see again with the diversification of viewer habits. It is simply amazing. 

The Wire - "Port in a Storm" 

While The Wire is often ranked at the top, or very near the top of the greatest TV shows of all time, it had pretty modest ratings during its original run. Fans at the time were always worried that HBO was going to cancel the beloved show. The show hit its ratings peak in Season 2, with Episode 12 "Port In A Storm" which sees the demise of Frank Sobotka, with 4.48 million fans tuning in. 

Succession - "With Open Eyes" 

HBO has a knack for churning out hit after hit and Succession is no exception. What's different is how people consume those hits these days. With the rise of streaming, ratings on HBO don't come close to what they used to be and that's reflected in Succession's highest-rated episode, the series finale, "With Open Eyes," only garnering 800k viewers. No doubt that number was much higher on the MAX streaming platform, and it was met with widespread critical acclaim. 

House - "One Day, One Room" 

For seven seasons on Fox, House was among the network's most popular shows. Episodes like when Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) was shot and others garnered high ratings, but the highest ratings came when it was revealed if House would beat the drug charges against him in Season 3, Episode 4, "One Day, One Room."

M*A*S*H - "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen" 

Here it is. The granddaddy of them all. The series finale of M*A*S*H, a show that famously ran for 5 times as many years as the actual Korean conflict lasted, was a television event that will never come close to being matched. The episode, titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" drew an insane 105 million viewers. It was at the time, and remained for years, the highest-rated TV show of all time. It wasn't until 2010 that even a Super Bowl surpassed it.  

Gossip Girl - "The Dark Night" 

Gossip Girl has a big place in the hearts of its fans and its highest rated episode, "The Dark Night" in Season 2 reflects that as it's usually ranked as one of the best shows of the series. The episode drew 3.73 million fans to the screen

The Walking Dead - "No Sanctuary" 

AMC had another huge hit on their hands with The Walking Dead. The show, especially in its early seasons, drew enormous ratings. The show was also the master at cliffhangers, so it's not surprising that one of the biggest, with our heroes locked in a train car at the end of Season 4 would be resolved with the highest-rated show of the series, Episode 1 of Season 5, which drew 17.29 million watchers. 

Cheers

Like so many shows in the '80s and '90s, it was the finale of Cheers that scored huge numbers. The final episode, appropriately named "One For The Road," was watched by 80 million people in the U.S., ranking among the highest-rated shows ever. Many in Gen X can remember where they were when Sam (Ted Danson) turned the lights off in Cheers for the final time. 

Game of Thrones - "The Iron Throne" 

In a rare example of streaming likely helping a TV show's ratings, Game of Thrones' viewership numbers steadily climbed as the show moved along, culminating in the 13.61 million people that tuned in to HBO to watch the finale. While critics and fans had mixed reviews of the ending, you can't argue with the numbers. 

Full House - "Happy Birthday, Babies" 

The legacy of Full House is huge. Millions of fans still love the show enough that it was brought back decades after it ended with Fuller House. The family is still one of the most loved in TV history, so the episode "Happy Birthday, Babies" in Season 5, when Becky gives birth to Nicky and Alex, is unsurprisingly the most-watched episode, with 35.7 million people tuning in. 

Friends - "The Last One" 

You will not be shocked to learn that the series finale of Friends, "The Last One," is one of the most-watched shows of all time. The ratings juggernaut saved its best for last with 52.2 million fans watching as the show came to a close. It's good enough for 5th all-time, among TV finales. 

Grey’s Anatomy - "It's The End Of The World" 

Full disclosure here, the highest rated episode of Grey’s Anatomy had a little help, as the Season 2 ep aired directly after a Super Bowl. The result was a monster viewership of 38.1 million people. The show has always been very successful and its ratings are regularly among the highest on TV, but it's hard to imagine it ever topping that number. 

Yellowstone - "One Hundred Years Is Nothing" 

The newest show on this list is Paramount's Yellowstone. The Kevin Costner-led show started modestly, but over its first five seasons, it's grown into a powerhouse. The Season 5 premiere is the cherry on top of John Dutton's cake as he got sworn in as governor of Montana with 9.4 million people watching. 

The Cosby Show - Series finale

Like many of its fellow sitcoms, The Cosby Show's final episode was its peak, with 44.4 million viewers. A huge show that will never be seen the same way ever again, but worth mentioning on this list. 

Family Matters - "Life of the Party" 

The enduring legacy of Family Matters is the character Steve Urkel, played by Jaleel White, so it's only appropriate that the highest rated episode was in Season 2 when Urkel taught everyone how to do "The Urkel" dance. 30.9 people danced along at home. 

Arrow - "The Scientist" 

Arrow had a long run, lasting seven seasons, and it kept its ratings remarkably consistent, at least until the last couple of seasons. The high water mark for the superhero show was 3.24 million viewers for the Season 3 episode, "The Scientist."

If you're wondering what program has the highest ratings of all time, it's not a Super Bowl, though eight Super Bowls are in the top 10. The highest-rated TV broadcast of all time was the Moon landing in 1969 with somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 million people watching on all three networks, in total. A small step for a man, a giant leap in TV viewership. 

It’s not all that uncommon to see sitcoms and procedurals crossover over with other shows in their particular arenas. When it comes to the former, one can look to the occasional mashups between Everybody Loves Raymond and the King of Queens or Family Matters character Steve Urkel’s appearances in fellow TGIF sitcoms. As for the latter genre, characters from various Law & Order shows have crossed paths, and the One Chicago franchise sees its key characters have frequent run-ins. Despite all that though, it’s not so typical that a multi-cam comedy and single-camera drama cross the aisle and mix it up. Yet that’s what happened with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Two and a Half Men.

Yes, you read that correctly. Those two shows did indeed have a crossover – but not one that was as straightforward as you’re probably thinking. (No, Charlie Sheen’s Charlie Harper did not try to wine and dine Marg Helgenberger’s Catherine Willows.) Nevertheless, it was still quite a feat, as it required keen collaboration amongst the writers and producers of both CBS shows. So when and how did all of this unfold? Well, let’s talk that out.

Who Got The Ball Rolling On The Crossover Between Two And A Half Men And CSI?

So apparently, this unconventional mashup was initiated by Two and a Half Men co-creator (and all-around super producer) Chuck Lorre in 2007. He reportedly reached out to CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn about a crossover that would see their respective writing staffs pen episodes of each other’s shows. Mendelsohn (via CBS News) was interested in the idea but wasn’t sure if she, Lorre and co. would actually be allowed to proceed with it:

But ultimately, both Carol Mendelsohn and Chuck Lorre held onto the idea and pitched it while at the World Television Festival in Canada. Funny enough, Mendelsohn nearly found herself leaking the news to the press during a talk she was giving, which led Variety to subsequently ask about the episodes. The production ultimately moved forward, though, and it wasn’t all that easy for the two seemingly willing parties to pull off.

What Were The Biggest Challenges With Crafting This TV Event?

The notion of two vastly different productions crossing over was a bit surprising. Even stars of the two shows, like Charlie Sheen (who was one of TV’s highest paid actors at that time) and William Petersen, were initially scratching their heads over the decision. But all involved decided to take a chance on the project, even with the challenges it presented. Carol Mendelsohn spoke about the creative aspect of it all, noting that all of the creatives had to “deal with issues of control” when it came to others working on their beloved series:

Longtime Warner Bros. TV signee Chuck Lorre had seen his share of rodeos as well up to that point, as he’d created and written for a number of different shows and had some big creative fights in the process. However, just about all of them were sitcoms and required that he aim for laughs. By crafting a dramatic story – one involving a murder – he was entering uncharted territory. He was also concerned about how a crime-centric episode of his hit sitcom would be received by longtime viewers:

That episode of Men was truly one for the books, and the same is true of the episode of the long-running procedural. So what exactly transpired during both? Let’s get into that, shall we?

How Did The Two-Episode Crossover Ultimately Play Out?

The first part of the event was the Two and a Half Men Season 5  episode, “Fish in a Drawer,” which was penned by Carol Mendelsohn and fellow CSI writers Sarah Goldfinger, Evan Dunsky and Naren Shankar. This episode, which premiered in May 2008, takes place right after the wedding of Evelyn Harper, whose new groom mysteriously dies shortly after the ceremony. That development leads to an investigation and, with this story, Men takes several visual cues from the crime drama, such as the use of flashbacks and even somewhat dimmed lighting. In a sweet nod, Crime Scene Investigation alum George Eads cameos as a guest at the wedding reception. 

This mashup continued three nights later in one of CSI’s Season 8 installments, “Two and a Half Deaths,”and it was scripted by Men co-creators Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. In it, the team investigates the murder of a divisive sitcom star played by Katey Sagal. Interestingly, the fictional actress, Anabelle, is based on Roseanne Barr and her eponymous late ‘80s/early ‘90s sitcom. (Lorre wrote on that show early in his career and allegedly took issue with Barr’s on-set behavior.) The Crime Scene Investigation episode mostly notably featured uncredited cameos from Two and a Half Men stars Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones as themselves. All three were also wearing their same costumes from “Fish in a Drawer.”

In the end, the sitcom portion of the event reportedly garnered 13 million viewers, and it was the third most-watched program of that particular night. The drama series’ half, meanwhile, received over 18 million viewers. So I’d say that’s not too shabby, considering this crossover idea initially seemed nutty. At this point, no other two shows have accomplished a similar feat and, honestly, it’s hard to say if it’ll ever actually happen again. 

Those who’d like to check out both the Two and a Half Men and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episodes involved in this event can stream them using a Paramount+ subscription.

CSI is arguably one of the most popular shows of all time and, after the franchise was launched over two decades ago, it's still going strong. The original series debuted in 2000 and has since spawned four spin-offs, which all featured a slew of great cast members. The latest offshoot, Vegas, even brought back a few familiar CSI faces, such as Jorja Fox and William Petersen, with some reunions even peppered in as well. But more recently, some of the original cast met up off camera and, as a fan, I have to say I missed seeing this group together.

Marg Helgenberger took to Instagram to share a sweet photo that showed her with some of her former CSI co-stars. She got together with Eric Szmanda, who she reunited with on CSI: Vegas, David Berman, Jorja Fox, and Robert David Hall. It has been far too long since they’ve been together and, if you love the franchise like I do, the following photos are sure to give you all the feels:

Considering the series ended eight years ago and fans haven't seen this ensemble in one place for quite some time, this is a welcome surprise. These photos are definitely great to see, and you can't help but smile at the sight of the stars taking selfies, courtesy of Robert David Hall. These photos are sweet enough but, now, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing something bigger.

After this rendezvous, we could really use another -- one that sees the group reprising their roles within the hit crime franchise's fictional universe. It’s possible more reunions could occur in CSI: Vegas' third season. However, with the WGA writers’ strike and SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike both in effect, it could be some time before such an event theoretically occurs. As it stands, it looks like the series won’t be part of the 2023 TV schedule on CBS this fall and probably won’t be premiering until at least 2024. The chances of the group reprising their roles and all appearing on screen together feel slim right now, but I'm hopeful that it could happen at some point.

We probably shouldn't be all that surprised that the stars are seemingly still close with each other. When you're on a show as long as they were (with stars leaving and joining at different points in time), it feels inevitable that some would form friendships. One can only hope that their continued friendliness translates into an on-screen meet-up involving their characters. But if not, I'll remain content with the sweet photos that were shared.

As fans wait and pray for a reunion, they can watch all of the stars by streaming all 15 seasons of the CBS procedural using a Paramount+ subscription. And if you're looking for something a little more recent from the franchise, check out CSI: Vegas, which is also streaming on the service.

These days, the popularity of a television show is not measured in quite the same way as it used to be. Instead of taking note of the amount of subscribers logging in to stream a certain TV show from the internet, previous decades saw TV network executives take note of how many households were tuning into a program the moment it was actually airing. Now, to be fair, this remains a common practice to this day, but with streaming being the dominate form of home entertainment viewing, it is certainly not main method of determining a series’ success now.

So, we decided to look several decades in the past and find which television programs would prove to be the most popular in every broadcast season from 1970 to the present. In order to do that, we had to use the old school method and look up the average ratings that the most-watched titles from a given period time achieved. You may find that some of the most popular TV shows of the last 50-plus years managed to take home the gold multiple years in a row, as you take this trip down memory lane.

1970-1971: Marcus Welby, M.D.

Robert Young and James Brolin (father of Josh) each earned an Emmy Award as the title character of Marcus Welby, M.D. and his assistant, Steven Kiley, respectively, whom they portrayed for seven years on ABC. The second season of the hit medical drama — which Steven Spielberg once directed an episode of — was its most successful, going as far as topping the ratings charts for that period with an average 29.6 rating.

1971-1976: All In The Family

For the first six years of its nine-season, 207-episode run, creator Norman Lear’s seminal — but sometimes offensive — sitcom, All in the Family, was the most-watched show on television. Its average ratings range of 30 to 34 proves that millions of viewers tuned in each week to see what the staunchly conservative Archie Bunker (five-time Emmy winner Carroll O’Connor) and his liberal son-in-law, Mike “Meathead” Stivic (future Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rob Reiner) would be shouting at each other over next.

1976-1977: Happy Days

Speaking of sitcom stars who went on to lead phenomenal filmmaker careers, Academy Award winner Ron Howard — following his years as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show — was the young leading star of creator Garry Marshall’s Happy Days. Also starring Henry Winkler as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli and set in 1950s Wisconsin, the ABC series wound up beating All in the Family’s hot streak for the 1976-1977 season with an average rating of 31.5.

1977-1979: Laverne & Shirley

The show that wound up beating Happy Days for the Number One spot the following year was its own spin-off, Laverne & Shirley. Starring the late Penny Marshall and the late Cindy Williams as the titular roommates and coworkers, the sitcom actually managed to top the charts for two consecutive years with an average rating that was above 30.

1979-1980: 60 Minutes

After more than 50 years since it debuted on CBS, 60 Minutes remains one of the most renowned and most-watched primetime news programs on television — especially when political scandals are involved, for instance. In fact, it had the honor of being called the most-watched program on television for a given season a good number of times, such as between 1979 and 1980 with a ratings average of 28.4. 

1980-1982: Dallas

After its Season 3 finale left viewers shocked by the mystery of who shot J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Dallas earned the best ratings of its 14-season run upon its return, ending the 1980-1981 season with a 34.5 average. While America’s obsession with the primetime CBS soap about Texas oil barons — which was later revived for TNT — seemed to lessen a bit with the next season, earning just 28.4 million viewers, it was enough to result in a second consecutive win. 

1982-1983: 60 Minutes

Dallas fever seemed to die down enough during the 1982-1983 season for 60 Minutes to come back on top, earning a 25.5 ratings average.

1983-1984: Dallas

Just a year after losing to 60 Minutes, Dallas was back on top once again, attracting an average rating of 25.7 in the 1983-1984 season.

1984-1985: Dynasty

The series that beat Dallas in the ratings from 1984 to 1985 happened to be another primetime soap about morally bankrupt people who earned their wealth from oil. ABC’s Dynasty — which would also be revived for modern audiences by The CW — topped the charts with a ratings average of 25.

1985-1990: The Cosby Show

For an impressive consecutive five seasons, The Cosby Show was the Number One series on television, keeping an average viewership that ranged from 34.9 to 23.1. While it would, decades later, become one of several TV shows taken off the air amid a scandal (creator and star Bill Cosby’s sexual assault charges), the astonishing success of this sitcom focused on a Black American family made it a pop culture trailblazer.

1990-1991: Cheers

One of the funniest TV shows on Hulu (and of all time) is Cheers, which celebrated its 200th episode during its ninth season. That would also be the year the sitcom (named after the Boston bar at which it is predominantly set) topped the ratings with a 21.3 average.

1991-1994: 60 Minutes

Beating out competition that included clever comedies and high-stakes dramas, 60 Minutes proved that knowledge is power by topping the charts for three consecutive seasons from 1991 to 1994, maintaining an average viewership of 21.9 to 20.9.

1994-1995: Seinfeld

One of the funniest, and simply greatest, TV shows of the 1990s was Seinfeld, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for its fourth and, arguably, best season. However, it was during its sixth season when creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s “show about nothing” hit Number One for the time with a rating of 20.6, on average.

1995-1997: ER

There are many great medical dramas that proved to be massive hits over the years. However, what made NBC’s ER — which we would rather not see rebooted — special and kept it at Number One for two consecutive years (maintaining an average ratings range between 22.0 and 21.2) was its nearly unprecedented sense of realism.

1997-1998: Seinfeld

Seinfeld would, once again, become “master of its domain” by topping the charts for its ninth and final season with an average rating of 34.1. However, many of those fans would end up being disappointed by the NBC comedy’s controversial series finale, in which our four main characters bump into some memorable characters when put on trial for a bizarre crime.

1998-1999: ER

Created by the late Michael Crichton, ER came back on top following Seinfeld’s final run. From 1998 to 1999, it achieved a healthy average of 17.8 in the ratings — many of which were likely tuning in to George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross one last time before his departure.

1999-2000: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

At the turn of the century, the ratings belonged to the late Regis Philbin and his American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Tuesdays were the most successful night for the game show, on which it achieved an average of 18.6 during its first run on ABC.

2000-2001: Survivor

One of the most influential and simply best reality shows of all time is Survivor, which debuted on CBS in the year 2000. Its first season was also one of its most successful, having survived at the top of the ratings with a 17.4 average.

2001-2002: Friends

These days, with a Max subscription, fans can revisit their favorite episodes of Friends whenever they want. However, in the days when viewers had to wait a week to see what happened next, a ratings average of 15 brought the NBC sitcom’s eighth season — the one where Rachel is pregnant — to Number One.

2002-2005: CSI

The dawn of CBS’s tenure as a leading network for procedural crime dramas, arguably, began when CSI launched its tenure as the Number One show on television. The Las Vegas-set, scientifically minded mystery drama maintained that position for three consecutive seasons, during it which it attracted a range of 15.9 to 16.5 in the ratings.

2005-2011: American Idol

It only took three years after its debut for one of TV’s most essential singing competition shows to become TV’s most-watched show, period. With an average rating ranging from 13.7 to 17.6, the pop culture juggernaut — which launched Kelly Clarkson’s career — remained on top from 2005 to 2011.

2011-2012: Sunday Night Football

An entirely different kind of competition became the first to dethrone American Idol in the 2011-2012 season. With a ratings average of 12.4, the new winner was NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which makes sense, because streaming began to take over around this time.

2012-2013: NCIS

Even amidst the dawn of streaming, CBS’ NCIS managed to prove that some people do prefer to watch their scripted series the traditional way. The crime procedural — which is 20 seasons in, so far — reached a 13.5 average.

2013-2014: Sunday Night Football/NCIS

NCIS was still on fire in the 2013-2014 season, but its competition with Sunday Night Football was fierce. In the end, they both tied for Number One that year with a shared average of 12.6.

2014-2015: Sunday Night Football

The season following its tie with NCIS, Sunday Night Football scored another touchdown with a winning 12.3 average rating.

2015-2016: NCIS

NCIS wound up making a pretty solid comeback for its 13th season, during which it won over the ratings with a 12.8 average.

2016-2018: The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory cast reached the peak of their popularity for the series’ tenth and eleventh seasons. During that time, the CBS sitcom was on top with average ratings that ranged from 11.1 to 11.5.

2018-2023: Sunday Night Football

Sunday Night Football would eventually reclaim another winning streak that has yet to cease. For the last five years, its average ratings — ranging from 4.9 to 10.9 — has kept it at top the charts.

Funny how the most popular TV show for the last several years is not really a TV show in the traditional sense. Then again, that is not counting the astonishing success that we saw in those same years for Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, which is ending after Season 5.

Following the departures of CSI OGs Jorja Fox and William Petersen on CSI: Vegas, Marg Helgenberger stepped up to the plate to return as Catherine Willows for Season 2 of the CBS series. Following her return, a question arose about if any other CSI veterans would return to the show, and now it looks like there is. Willows will once again be working with Greg Sanders as Eric Szmanda returns to the franchise.

TVLine reports that Eric Szmanda will be reprising his role as Greg Sanders in the back half of CSI: Vegas’ second season. Although details about his return aren’t out in the open just yet, we do know he'll be back for multiple episodes, and fans will see him reunite with his co-star Marg Helgenberger.

Szmanda portrayed DNA specialist Greg Sanders for CSI’s entire 15-season run, initially starting out as a recurring guest in the first two seasons before being bumped up to regular in Season 3. Having worked 12 seasons with Marg Helgenberger before she left the CBS procedural after Season 12, their reunion will definitely be something to look forward to.

It’s unknown whether these episodes will just be a single arc or if it could set up a more permanent return for Sanders in Sin City. It would be nice if he were to stay a bit longer, but either way, getting him back and reunited with Catherine is better than nothing. Though how and why he comes back will be interesting, especially hearing what he’s been up to after all this time.

Whether fans could see more of Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders might also be dependent on whether CBS renews CSI: Vegas. 2022 TV cancellations were as harsh as ever, and no matter how popular or well-liked a show may be, nothing is safe. For now, we’ll just have to get excited about Sanders and Catherine working together again.

Meanwhile, Season 2 of CSI: Vegas has also included new faces like a viral TikTok star known for posing as corpses on the platform. He was brought on to play none other than a dead body, proving that anything can happen in the age of social media. The series also explained where Grissom and Sara went. It was on a boat above the Arctic Circle, so it may be a while still until we see them return to Vegas. 

There’s no confirmed date for Eric Szmanda’s first episode back, but CSI: Vegas will be returning on January 5 following a brief winter hiatus. Hopefully, fans will be able to start the new year with some Sanders, or at least won’t have to wait long until he’s back in the fold.

The midseason finale of CSI: Vegas airs Thursday, December 15 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. New episodes will return on Thursday, January 5 only on CBS! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming in the new year.

Season 2 of CSI: Vegas is going to look a little bit different. With the exits of Jorja Fox and William Petersen, who reprised their respective roles as Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom from the original series, one of the biggest questions for fans to ponder was how the two main characters would be written out. Thanks to some new footage hitting the internet, we finally have our answer.

A sneak peek video from the upcoming season of CSI: Vegas, as shared by TVLine, features CSI Chris Park and CSI Joshua Folsom discussing Catherine Willows’ return, with former star Marg Helgenberger stepping in to fill the O.G. void. Park wondered if Willows reached out to Sara and Grissom to get gossip on the new arrivals, and here's how Folsom sarcastically replied:

While it solves where Grissom and Sara are, it doesn’t quite solve the “why” behind their trip north. It’s likely fans will get more information either in the premiere episode or as the season goes on, but knowing that they are together makes it all the more better. There are certainly worse ways to keep warm in the Arctic Circle. 

Fingers crossed we get more information on Sara and Grissom, or possibly even a video call cameo from Fox and/or Petersen later in the season. Perhaps if they dock somewhere with great WiFi. As of now, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be coming back, but things can change. (And anyone wanting to relive their returns can stream the first season of CSI: Vegas with a Paramount+ subscription.

When Jorja Fox and William Petersen’s departures were announced, it was unknown whether CSI: Vegas could work without them. But the re-introduction of Marg Helgenberger’s Catherine Willows is arguably the best way to test those waters, assuming there aren;t any other former OG CSI stars that will follow suit. 

The Season 1 finale of CSI: Vegas introduced a new serial killer in Sin City, meaning that it’s going to be all hands on deck for the team in Season 2, at least for those who aren't boating it up. How the team handles the deadly case will also be something to look forward to, on top of those two new medical examiners joining the fun. 

Meanwhile, recent first look photos previewed Marg Helgenberger’s return to the CSI franchise, and it’s definitely going to fill the void left by Jorja Fox and William Petersen. It’s hard to tell how long Helgenberger will be on the series, as she initially signed on for a one-year deal. Hopefully, if there’s another season, she’ll stick around. But for now, we’ll just have to look forward to her long-awaited return as Catherine Willows. Check out another new sneak peek video below!

Season 2 of CSI: Vegas premieres Thursday, September 29 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to in the coming months, including series premieres. 

While the upcoming second season of CSI: Vegas will be without CSI OGs William Petersen and Jorja Fox, the series will see the long-awaited return of yet another OG. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Marg Helgenberger will reprise her role of Catherine Willows in CSI: Vegas, and now the actress is opening up about initially leaving the crime drama and more. 

Marg Helgenberger was on CSI for the first 12 seasons of the CBS drama during its original run and even made a guest appearance in Season 14. Being on the same show for so long can take its toll, and Helgenberger candidly shared with EW her reasoning for leaving the series originally and being "burned out" sounds like it had a lot to do with it.

Marg Helgenberger wasn't the only major cast member to exit CSI during it's original run, and It’s definitely understandable that she might want to take some time away from a network TV program, particularly given the long episode runs are notorious for long hours and grueling schedules. Though it is nice to hear that even though she didn’t necessarily want to leave the series, she felt she had to so she could break away from Catherine. But now she’s back! And other Vegas cast members have already shared their excitement over Helgenberger's return.

Photos from the Season 2 premiere of CSI: Vegas were recently released showing Marg Helgenberger back in business. The actress also discussed how it feels being back, admitting the challenges of easing back into the difficult dialogue used to describe the "science" behind the groundbreaking investigation techniques the show is known for highlighting.

Returning to a role that you haven’t played in a decade is doubtless not easy, especially on a show that has a decent amount of scientific forensic jargon and dialogue. Yet, Marg Helgenberger seems like she's up for the challenge and has "warmed up" to the task in more recent days.

It should be interesting and fun to see Catherine Willows back and see what brings her to Vegas. Whether or not the series will have more original stars back has yet to be seen. I also don't know if William Petersen and Jorja Fox will return following their departures at any point in the future, but it could be cool to see an even bigger reunion down the line.

Meanwhile, Season 2 of CSI: Vegas will also see some new faces. Sara Amini and Joel Johnstone are set to recur as siblings Sonya and Jack, the new head Medical Examiner and Assistant Medical Examiner, respectively. The two replace Mel Rodriguez following his departure as M.E. Hugo Ramirez. With the season premiering soon, it won’t be long until fans see old and new faces on the screen and the highly-anticipated return of Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows.

Don’t miss Helgenberger’s return in the Season 2 premiere of CSI: Vegas on Thursday, September 29 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else is on the lineup in the coming months!

Have you ever been watching your favorite TV show when a certain actor popped into frame and you could not help but wonder where else you might have seen them? There is a good chance that it could have been another episode of the same program, as many television series have a history of casting the same actor for entirely different roles. In fact we have a hefty amount examples below of actors who have played multiple TV characters in one series.

Giovanni Ribisi On Friends (Condom Guy, Frank Buffay Jr.)

Before he joined the Friends cast in the recurring role of Frank Buffay Jr. - the younger half-brother of Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) - Emmy nominee Giovanni Ribisi made an uncredited Season 2 appearance as a guy who asks if he can retrieve the condom he dropped in Phoebe’s guitar case moments earlier. Considering Phoebe never found out about this sibling until later that season, fans have speculated that Frank and “Condom Guy” are the same person, but this has never been confirmed.

Queen Latifah On The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (Marissa Redman, Dee Dee)

Before she was in the Living Single cast, future Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah shared the screen with fellow rapper-turned-actor Will Smith on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1991. She played a vain, domineering actress who hires Hilary (Karyn Parsons) as an assistant for her first appearance, and returned to play a woman whose friendship with Will is tested when he does not defend her from ridicule about her weight.

Jerry Orbach On Law & Order (Defense Attorney Frank Lehrman, Detective Lennie Briscoe)

The late, great Jerry Orbach of Dirty Dancing fame is even better known for his 12 seasons in the Law & Order cast as Detective Lennie Briscoe, for which he received his third Emmy nomination. However, his first appearance on creator Dick Wolf’s long-running crime procedural (which was revived in 2022) was in Season 2 (a year before he official joined the cast) as Frank Lehrman - a lawyer defending a woman who shot her estranged husband and his mistress. 

Justin Theroux On Sex And The City (Jared, Vaughn Wysel)

On the premiere season of Sex and the City, Justin Theroux appeared as Jared - Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) post-Mr. Big rebound - before showing up again the following season as Vaughn Wysel -  Carrie’s writer boyfriend whose stories are short, just like his bedroom stamina. The star of HBO’s The Leftovers explained on an episode of People Magazine’s Couch Surfing how he prepared for his second role on the iconic romantic-comedy series by shaving his head.

Dean-Charles Chapman On Game Of Thrones (Martyn Lannister, Tommen Baratheon)

It is not so unusual for a Game of Thrones cast member to die and come back later (i.e. Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow), but Dean-Charles Chapman is a special case. The 1917 star appeared in two episodes of the third season as a Lannister House squire named Martyn before being brought back the next year (and with a sweet promotion) as the polarizing King of the Andals, Tommen Baratheon.

Peter Capaldi On Doctor Who (Caecilius, The Doctor)

Because of Time Lords’ regenerative process, the titular hero of the phenomenal British sci-fi series, Doctor Who, has been played by 13 different actors so far - including Oscar-winner Peter Capaldi (who looked to David Bowie for inspiration for the role) from 2013 to 2017. However, die-hard Whovians may recall when the Scotsman and The Suicide Squad cast member appeared opposite the Tenth Doctor, David Tenant, in 2008 as a man The Doctor saves from Vesuvius’ eruption named Caecilius.

Karen Gillan On Doctor Who (Soothsayer, Amy Pond)

In the same 2008 episode of Doctor Who in which Peter Capaldi made his first appearance in a different role, future Marvel movie star Karen Gillan also made her debut on the cult favorite series as a soothsayer who gained psychic powers from breathing in dust from the volcano, Vesuvius. Two years later, the Scottish actress was cast as Amy Pond, who would accompany Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor on adventures until 2012.

Ted McGinley On Married… With Children (Norman Jablonsky, Jefferson D'Arcy)

On Married… with Children (which some believe is due for a revival), the Bundy Family’s next-door neighbor, Marcy (Amanda Bearse), was married twice - the second time to Jefferson D’Arcy, who was played by Ted McGinley after he joined the cast in Season 5. The previous season, he appeared in a holiday episode inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life in which Al (Ed O’Neill) is shown an alternate reality where Peg (Katey Segal) is, instead, married to a more successful, better looking man named Norman Jablonsky (McGinley).  

Terry O’Quinn On The X-Files (Lt. Brian Tillman, Shadow Man)

Emmy winner Terry O’Quinn, best known from the Lost cast, has starred in a number of series created by Chris Carter - including one of the best ’90 shows, The X-Files, as both a police lieutenant in Season 2  and a super-soldier who tries to kill Scully (Gillian Anderson) in Season 9. He was also a regular on another supernatural series by Carter called Millennium, which once crossed over with The X-Files - meaning O’Quinn has really played three characters within this same universe.

Garret Dillahunt On Deadwood (Jack McCall, Francis Wolcott)

Garett Dillahunt is one of the few names on our list who, instead of just two guest appearances, can claim to have two different, multi-episode recurring roles in the Deadwood cast. He played the crooked-nosed murderer Jack McCall in the HBO series’ first season, before returning in Season 2 as geologist Francis Wolcott. He even made an uncredited cameo in the series’ feature-length continuation from 2019 as random drunk.

S. Epatha Merkerson On Law & Order (Mrs. Denise Winters, Lieutenant Anita Van Buren)

Emmy winner S. Epatha Merkerson, who went on to be a staple of the One Chicago franchise, is best known for playing Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law & Order from 1993 to 2010. Yet, her first role on the iconic crime drama was as the mother of two young shooting victims in the the series’ premiere season.

Paget Brewster On Community (Debra Chambers, Frankie Dart)

During Paget Brewster’s temporary absence from the Criminal Minds cast, she had a starring role on Community as Frankie Dart - a consultant hired to help improve things on the Greendale campus. There is a clever joke from Season 6 of creator Dan Harmon’s cult favorite comedy when Frankie claims to have some bizarre trouble when trying to reach out to Greendale’s I.T. department head, Debra Chambers - whom Brewster also played in the previous season.

James Cromwell On Barney Miller (Sgt. Wilkinson, Neil Spencer, Jason Parrish, Dr. Edmund Danworth)

The producers of Barney Miller (one of funniest and best classic mystery shows) cast several actors in multiple guest appearances over its eight seasons, including Oscar nominee James Cromwell. He first appeared as a police sergeant in 1977, a representative of the department of energy two years later, and both a corporate representative and stress researcher in 1981.

Denise Dowse On Beverly Hills, 90210 (Professor Harriet Welkman, Mrs. Teasley)

Years before appearing on the hit HBO comedy Insecure or FX’s acclaimed crime drama Snowfall, Denise Dowse appeared on a total of 24 episodes as part of the Beverly Hills, 90210 cast from 1990 to 2000. In 23 of those episodes, she played West Beverly Hills High School vice principal Yvonne Teasley, and also played a college professor in an episode of Season 1, which was also her first.

Diane Neal On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Amelia Chase, A.D.A. Casey Novak)

Diane Neal has starred on the crime procedural spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (initially as a regular and later in recurring and guest appearances) as Casey Novak - an assistant district attorney who also appeared in an episode of the short-lived Law & Order: Trial By Jury. The actress has actually played two characters in this universe - the first being a stockbroker convicted of the rape and murder of a male stripper who staged the murder of her accomplice as a suicide, on SVU’s third season.

Freema Agyeman On Doctor Who (Adeloa Oshodi, Martha Jones)

Before joining the New Amsterdam cast and starring in The Matrix Revolutions, Freema Agyeman first appeared with the Doctor Who cast as Torchwood technician Adeloa Oshodi in 2006. The following year, she was cast as Martha Jones - a companion to David Tenant’s Tenth Doctor - who was later revealed to be Adeloa’s cousin to explain the resemblance between the two.

Christa Miller On Seinfeld (Ellen De Granmont, Paula)

If her starring roles on The Drew Carey Show, with the Scrubs cast, and on Cougar Town do not earn Christa Miller the right to be called sitcom royalty, how about her two disparate guest roles on one of the most celebrated sitcoms of all time, Seinfeld? Miller contributes to two memorable George Costanza moments - the first being when she cost Jason Alexander’s iconic character a bra salesman position after a disastrous attempt at hitting on her in Season 5. In Season 6, she played a woman already dating George, but her unflattering doodle of him suddenly makes him unsure if her affection is genuine.

Nelson Franklin on The Office (Graphic Design Guy, Nick)

Comedian and Being the Ricardos star Nelson Franklin is known for having notable recurring roles on a number of sitcoms, including with The Office cast as Dunder Mifflin-Sabre’s begrudgingly overlooked IT guy, Nick, in Season 6. Two seasons earlier, he appeared in the episode “Job Fair” as a graphic design expert whom Pam (Jenna Fischer) approaches with interest in the field.

Sean Gunn On Angel (Mars, Lucas)

Before his older brother, James Gunn, cast him in multiple roles in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies (namely Kraglin and Rocket Raccoon, for whom he performed the mo-cap), Sean Gunn play two different characters in the first season of the David Boreanaz-led Buffy spin-off, Angel. The future Gilmore Girls cast member first played a spa manager helping an inter-dimensional demon princess hide other women of her kind from the males who enslave them, before returning a few episodes later as a demon himself - specifically the kind that Angel’s ally, Allen Doyle (Glenn Quinn), is a descendent of on his father’s side.

Hayden Panettiere On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Ashley Austin Black, Angela Agnelli)

Back when she was still best known for Disney movies like A Bug’s Life and Remember the Titans, Hayden Panettiere guest-starred on Season 2 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as the surviving young daughter of two singers accused of neglecting their recently deceased son. Right before joining the Heroes cast made her a household name, the actress and singer appeared on the spin-off’s sixth season as a Catholic high school student whose participation in a sex tape also featuring her classmate and an adult doctor, drove her to murder.

James Jordan On Veronica Mars (Lucky, Tim Foyle)

Years before joining the Yellowstone cast as Steve Hendon, one of James Jordan’s first major TV characters was Tim Foyle - a rival of Kristen Bell’s titular hero from the Veronica Mars cast who appeared in seven episodes, including the 2019 revival season. However, Jordan actually starred in a total of 10 episodes of the hit mystery drama and, for his first three, played a Neptune High janitor ironically named Lucky, who was shot and killed by a school security guard after showing up with an unloaded gun after he was fired.

Michael Cudlitz On CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Officer William Spencer, Josh Barston)

Earlier in his career, former The Walking Dead cast member Michael Cudlitz made a guest appearance on each of the first three editions of the CSI franchise (and each time as a different character, too), but the original is the only one on which he appeared twice. His first played a cop driven to crime by greed in Season 2, and later played a contractor driven to murder by love in Season 9.

BONUS: Kali Rocha On Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Cecily Addams, Halfrek - Confirmed To Be The Same Character)

For years, it was debated among fans of Buffy of the Vampire Slayer whether or not Kali Rocha's roles of Cecily Addams - a 19th Century socialite whose rejection of Spike (James Marsters) resulted in his vampirism - and the vengeance demon Halfrek were the same person. Writer Drew Goddard would confirm in a DVD commentary track (via ScreenRant) that the theory is, indeed, true, which we have chosen to mention as a bonus item on this list just in case there were any fans who may have needed clarification.

Let this list be a lesson to any aspiring actor to never take a TV guest appearance or small recurring role for granted. It could be the first of many appearances on that show alone or could get you promoted to a regular position.

CSI: Vegas scored a renewal for a second season of what was originally billed as a limited series, but Season 2 comes with the loss of original series stars William Petersen and Jorja Fox as Gil and Sara. The good news is that Marg Helgenberger has officially signed on to reprise her iconic role as Catherine Willows. After the departures of Petersen and Fox, the question is: how much will the Vegas revival feature her? Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait for the show to return for an answer.

As was previously rumored, Marg Helgenberger is on board to return to the CSI franchise for the Vegas spinoff, and Deadline reports that she will be a series regular with a one-year deal. Her series regular status is definitely good news for fans watching the new series but missing the familiar faces from the original, but the one-year deal raises the possibility that she could be in and out after a single season, like William Petersen and Jorja Fox, both of whom also had one-year deals. 

It is worth noting that William Petersen wasn’t expected to stay beyond that first year (even if there were hopes to the contrary), and Jorja Fox chose not to return to Season 2 for the sake of not splitting up Gil and Sara. If that hadn’t been a concern, Fox could well have come back for the second season, which got a chilling setup in the final moments of the Season 1 finale. Marg Helgenberger’s Catherine won’t have the same kind of ties to another regular in the way that Gil and Sara did, so she won’t face the same conundrum that Fox did. 

Catherine is also the logical choice as a big name to bring in after the departures of Petersen and Fox. Helgenberger and Petersen starred in the first nine seasons of CSI together before he left at the end of Season 9, and Helgenberger stuck around for another few seasons before leaving in Season 12. She appeared a couple of more times over the years, but CSI: Vegas will be the actress’ return to series regular status in the franchise for the first time since 2012. 

Her return to series regular status isn’t to say that Marg Helgenberger will want to return beyond Season 2, or even that CSI: Vegas will receive a Season 2. The revival did well enough in the ratings on CBS, but never managed to beat its competition unless Chicago P.D. over on NBC was airing reruns. Still, I have no trouble believing that Vegas was set up well enough in Season 1 that it can survive off-screen departures of Gil and Sara (who got closure anyway); the arrival of Helgenberger as Catherine can only help. 

Although Catherine didn’t appear in the first season that brought back Gil, Sara, Hodges, and Brass, she did get a mention in the series premiere when Sara informed Brass that Catherine “rolled out a red carpet” and would have been there “if she could” after he was attacked. Brass exposited that Catherine has “a little grandbaby in Dublin.” Catherine clearly has ties outside of Vegas, and the biggest question about her return might actually be what brings her back, more than whether or not she’ll stay past a single season. 

Marg Helgenberger joins a cast comprised of Paula Newsome’s Max Roby, Matt Lauria as Josh Folsom, Mandeep Dhillon as Allie Rajan. Mel Rodriguez was a series regular in Season 1 as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Hugo Ramirez, but he too departed after one season. CSI: Vegas will presumably need to bring in a new medical examiner as well as Catherine. If you want to revisit Helgenberger’s original time on CSI, you can find the full series streaming with a Hulu subscription. The full first season of CSI: Vegas is available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

CSI: Vegas, the highly anticipated follow-up to the iconic CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, made its debut on CBS this fall and has managed to make some waves. So far, the sequel series has pulled in solid ratings and mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. As a result, the network has officially given the show a second season renewal. However, the news may be somewhat bittersweet for fans, as it turns out one of the franchise’s core cast members will not be returning. 

William Petersen, who reprised his fan-favorite role as Gil Grissom for the new show, will not be returning for Season 2. According to Deadline, Petersen had only signed on to appear in the show’s first 10-episode season. The news is surprising especially considering that Grissom served as a major character on Vegas. This change won’t mean the end of the actor’s relationship with the franchise, however, as he’ll reportedly remain on the show as an executive producer. Meanwhile, another pivotal star’s fate has yet to be finalized. 

The trade also mentions that Jorja Fox, famous for her role as Sara Sidle, is not officially on board just yet. Thankfully though, it would appear that her contract allows her the option to reprise her role for future episodes. Deadline’s sources tell them that the producers feel good about her odds of coming back. This is definitely good news but seeing Sidle without Grissom would evoke some mixed emotions. It had been a while since fans were able to see the two on screen together again, and losing that dynamic so soon is shocking. 

The chances of the franchise vet’s return may not be too slim, especially if she still has the enthusiasm that she had when she first signed on. Around CSI: Vegas’ premiere, she referred to Sidle as her favorite character she’s ever played though, ironically enough, she was most interested in exploring the character’s love affair with Grissom. But even though the character is now out of the picture, there’s still plenty that can be explored with her seasoned forensic scientist, especially since the actress has shaken off the rust.

Regardless of character returns, CBS seems excited to be producing another season of the series. Amy Reisenbach, the network’s EVP Current Programs, released a statement in which she praised the series’ initial run of episodes:

Though there are few details at the moment, the stage has already been set for some exciting new stories. The Season 1 finale alluded to a new serial killer who could cause major problems for the team moving forward, and that battle could become that much more difficult if both William Petersen and Jorja Fox’s two lead characters are no longer in the fold. We’ll just have to sit back and see how things unfold.

In the meantime, you can revisit the first season of CSI: Vegas by streaming episodes on Paramount+.

The CSI franchise is coming back with CSI: Vegas, and the hype for the show is real. Although the new series is heading back to where it all started, don’t expect things to be exactly the same. According to showrunner Jason Tracey, the show is going to be handling its villain somewhat differently compared to the original series.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation first came onto the scene in 2000. At the time, the show was lauded for its production values, which were viewed as cutting edge. Of course, things have only changed in the past 21 years, as shows have become even more technologically astute. And Jason Tracey recently explained to Variety that tech will be important in regard to crafting CSI: Vegas’ villain:

It seems like CSI: Vegas will be going above and beyond for its first season. Recent hiatus aside, people have been watching this franchise for years now, so it’s not surprising that the producers would want to spruce things up a little bit. The creation of this particular villain seems intriguing and admittedly scary. It should serve as something both fresh exciting for both new viewers and seasoned fans. 

Longtime devotees can also look out for links to the original series, as some characters are returning. Since CSI took place in Las Vegas, audiences will likely be in for a number of sly Easter eggs that pay tribute to the franchise's storied history.

Speaking of history, CSI: Vegas is premiering on October 6, exactly 21 years after the original series made its debut. While certain elements like the antagonist are sure to change, the limited series is sure to maintain the essence of the franchise. It'll be interesting to see how it manages to honor the legacy of the fan-favorite show.

Catch CSI: Vegas on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS! And be sure to check out CinemaBlend's 2021 fall TV schedule for more on the other shows you can look forward to near the end of this year.

CBS will be the place to be this fall to find the expansions of successful TV franchises with some new shows, with CSI making a comeback after more than six years off the air. The original CSI ran for fifteen seasons, and the upcoming CSI: Vegas will bring back stars William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and others to join a crew of newcomers. While the newcomers would be easy enough for new viewers to adjust to, a big question is: would new viewers need to already be CSI experts to enjoy Vegas?

It's a question that can really apply to any TV brands that expand by adding new shows, and CBS actually is doing that with the NCIS and FBI franchises as well as CSI this fall. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl recently explained the reasoning behind expanding the proven brands like CSI rather than just going for all new series that exist outside of a franchise. At the CBS TCA Summer press tour, Kahl said:

CSI may have ended back in 2015 after fifteen seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that CSI: Vegas doesn't have the potential to be a big hit. In fact, CSI itself had no fewer than three spinoffs in its time thanks to CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Cyber. Plus, CSI isn't too hard to find streaming despite coming to an end years ago, with the full run available on Hulu, several seasons on Paramount+, and a dedicated CSI channel on Pluto. So new fans have been able to find CSI even in the years since it went off the air.

Still, that doesn't mean that new viewers will be able to jump right into CSI: Vegas and follow along while the original series characters potentially pick up where they left off. Fortunately, CBS Entertainment took that potential conundrum into account. CBS Entertainment Senior Executive Vice President of Programming Thom Sherman explained why CSI (along with the new NCIS and FBI series) can have a broad appeal even beyond fans of the existing properties:

While the new CSI will extend the stories of William Petersen's Gil Grissom and Jorja Fox's Sara Sidle for the existing fans who have been missing the original show and familiar faces, Vegas will be able to stand on its own without relying on nostalgia from returning viewers. Newcomers can check out Vegas without necessarily feeling lost in the plot or needing to hit up Pluto or Hulu or Paramount+ to start binge-watching before the new show can premiere.

CSI: Vegas will see the new team of investigators facing an existential threat so signficant that it could not only bring down the Crime Lab, but also reverse the convictions of thousands of killers and release them onto the streets of Las Vegas. The new team of investigators will be plenty talented, and the returns of Grissom, Sara, and Hodges (played by Wallace Langham) shouldn't hurt!

Catch the series premiere of CSI: Vegas on Wednesday, October 6 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Wednesday nights are competitive in primetime, and the new show will be directly up against One Chicago's Chicago P.D. That said, Vegas is also part of a formidable block of primetime, starting with the long-awaited Season 41 of Survivor.

With so many new TV reboots, expansions, continuations and roobalootions (not a real thing) on the way, it can be hard for a project to stand out these days. In the case of CBS' sequel series CSI: Vegas, it helps to be following up on one of the most popular network TV dramas of the modern era. The network finally released the first full-length trailer for the crime drama's debut, and it's filled with familiar faces, such as that of William Petersen's Gil Grissom, while also welcoming some new blood to the franchise.

While CBS had previously released a teaser trailer giving fans snippets of what to expect, this new trailer offers a lot more for viewers new and old to mull over. The new season will focus on one over-arching story of an unexpected threat that has the potential to upend the Crime Lab while setting a multitude of dangerous killers back loose in Las Vegas. A new (to viewers) team of crime-stoppers has to call upon some legends in the game to assist in keeping Vegas safe and free from a big batch of killing sprees. Let's check out some of what the trailer had to offer!

Arguably the actor most associated with CSI's original run is William Petersen, who brought forensics mastermind Gil Grissom to life for nine of the show's 15 seasons, complete with a finale appearance. And don't anybody ever tell you Petersen isn't working his ass off to bring Grissom back to viewers, as he was hospitalized recently, reportedly from exhaustion after such long days of filming for the new series. While there may be a ton of cases from the past that are being put under renewed scrutiny for one reason or another, surely Grissom & Co. can handle things and ensure justice's arrival, right?

Helping things along will be Jorja Fox's Sara Sidle, who was part of the original series' cast for each year save for Seasons 9 and 10. It'll be awesome to see Grissom and Sidle back in the field together, kicking ass and following the evidence to the asses that need the kicking.

Ahem. Things don't appear to go so well for Paul Gilfoyle's returning character Jim Brass, however. Brass remained with the main cast until its penultimate season, and it looks as if he's going to be the first OG character who gets killed off in CSI: Vegas. Not only was he only confirmed for two episodes, but the trailer has a note with the very ominous message: "Jim Brass is just the beginning." Nobody types out a note like that if they want to talk about a cure for cancer, or a really cool tattoo.

Another former star returning for CSI: Vegas is Wallace Langham as the dependable tech expert David Hodges. And then there are all the new characters who are hoping that this new case doesn't totally screw up everything they've accomplished in the past few years. Some of the new recruits include the trio seen above — Paula Newsome's Maxine Roby, Matt Lauria's Joshua Folsom and Mandeep Dhillon's Allie Rajan — as well as others seen in the trailer, such as Mel Rodriguez's Hugo Ramirez.

CSI: Vegas will make its long-awaited debut on Wednesday, October 6, at 10:00 p.m. ET, after a new episode of Survivor and the Season 3 premiere of the reality competition Tough As Nails. Be sure to tune in, and stay up to date with all the other big shows hitting the 2021 Fall TV schedule soon.

We're back in Vegas, baby! CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which ran for 15 seasons on CBS and spawned a number of spinoffs, is getting the revival treatment, with CSI: Vegas bringing some of the original characters back to the Sin City crime scene. Along with William Petersen and Jorja Fox reprising their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, the CSI: Vegas cast will feature a couple of other familiar faces to help indoctrinate some new characters into the franchise.

The sequel series was originally planned to debut in 2020 for the 20th anniversary of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, however we all know how things in 2020 went down. But better late than never, and when the CBS forensics procedural premieres this October, viewers can expect to witness some kind of existential threat that forces Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle to return to the Crime Lab to lead a new team of crime scene investigators. Let's take a look at the cast of the highly anticipated CSI: Vegas.

William Petersen (Gil Grissom)

William Petersen returns as the no-nonsense Gil Grissom, who in the original show's run was the night shift supervisor. Petersen garnered four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (and one win) and one Golden Globe nod for the role. He was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards as executive producer. After CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Petersen didn't do a whole lot of acting, other than playing Col. Emmett Darrow on Manhattan. Gil Grissom is an exciting character to be getting back on television, as fans are very interested to find out what he's been up to.

Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle)

It's hard to imagine getting the gang back together without Sara Sidle. Thank goodness we don't have to, as Jorja Fox returns to the Las Vegas Crime Lab for the role that earned her four SAG Award nominations and one win. Before she was Sara Sidle, though, viewers knew Fox as Dr. Maggie Doyle on NBC's ER and for her recurring role on The West Wing as Gina Toscano. Since the original CSI series ended, Fox starred in the sci-fi movie 3022 with Omar Epps and Kate Walsh, as well as the Amazon Original Movie The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.

Wallace Langham (David Hodges)

After his initial run as sarcastic lab technician David Hodges, Wallace Langham stayed quite busy, taking on multiple movie roles, including Dr. Granger in Ford v. Ferrari and Gordon Caplan in the controversial Netflix documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. Prior to CSI, the Little Miss Sunshine actor was known best as Phil from The Larry Sanders Show, and in the past six years has had guest appearances on a number of shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Mom, 9-1-1, The Boys and The Resident.

Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass)

Paul Guilfoyle is back as homicide detective Jim Brass, but unlike the other actors returning from the original series, Guilfoyle has a planned two-episode arc on CSI: Vegas. We'll take what we can get! Since 2015 Guilfoyle has had some guest spots on TV shows including A Million Little Things, where he played Deliliah's father, as well as Star Trek: Discovery and The Morning Show. He had a lengthier stint in Colony in 2016 as Quayle and as Henry Rindell in the CBS All Access legal drama The Good Fight.

Paula Newsome (Maxine Roby)

Onto the 'new.' Paula Newsome is joining CSI: Vegas as Maxine Roby, a former basketball coach who is now the head of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Newsome is recognizable for her role as Detective Moss in HBO's Barry. Fans might also know her as Carolina Charles from Chicago Med or from her guest roles in other popular CBS series like Criminal Minds and NCIS. Interestingly (to me, anyway), Newsome also had an uncredited role in Home Alone, in which she directed a young Macaulay Culkin to the aisle in the store where he could find fabric softener.

Matt Lauria (Josh Folsom)

This is the first time viewers will meet Josh Folsom, a Level III CSI who often serves as lead investigator, but strangely enough, this isn't Matt Lauria's first trip down the Vegas strip. He actually appeared in three episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Agent Matthew Pratt in Season 12. There’s no indication the two characters are related, but it’s pretty rare for an actor to play different roles in two shows set in the same world. Outside of the CSI world, Lauria is also well-known for his roles as Ryan York in NBC's Parenthoodand Luke Cafferty in Friday Night Lights. Vegas forever!

Mel Rodriguez (Hugo Ramirez)

Mel Rodriguez, best known as Patsy de la Serda on HBO's Getting On and Todd Rodriguez on Fox's The Last Man on Earth, will play head medical examiner Hugo Ramirez on CSI: Vegas. Rodriguez's other recent projects include a voice role in Disney's Onward, Ernie Gomes on the Showtime drama On Becoming a God in Central Florida and a recurring as Jimmy McGill's partner-in-scamming Marco Pasternak on Better Call Saul. He has ties to CBS with a guest role on an episode of The Twilight Zone reboot.

Mandeep Dhillon (Allie Rajan)

British actress Mandeep Dhillon rounds out the main cast of CSI: Vegas as Allie Rajan, a Level II CSI who, as an immigrant, followed her dreams to Las Vegas. After working with Ricky Gervais on David Brent: Life on the Road, Dhillon joined the Netflix series After Life as Sandy. She also played Lieutenant Garan in Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

If the cast is any indication, CSI: Vegas seems like it should live up to the popularity of its predecessor, especially since we'll have some of that original cast back. It's strange to remember that William Petersen and Jorja Fox, while considered the backbone of the OG CSI, actually didn’t remain on the series for the entirety of its 15-season run. Fox left the show in Season 8, and Petersen left a season later. Fox returned as a recurring character in the later seasons, but Petersen only came back for the series finale, where Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom sailed away into the sunset.

Does their return as series leads for CSI: Vegas mean they’re still together? We don’t have to wait too long to find out. CSI: Vegas is set to premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, October 6 on CBS. Until then, you can stream the entire original series on Hulu, and don’t forget to check out our 2021 Summer TV schedule.

Over the years, the CSI spin-offs have traveled to Miami, New York, and even the far recesses of cyberspace. Now, the franchise is going back to where it all started with CSI: Vegas, the latest installment in the expanding procedural forensics crime series.

Featuring new and returning talents, including William Petersen and Jorja Fox, CBS's return to one of their most famous and long-lasting TV sagas is expected to make a major splash whenever it premieres later this fall. Not a lot is known about the upcoming CSI Revival on CBS, but we're clued in on a few key details, which we'll share with you now.

CSI: Vegas Is The Fifth Series In The CSI Franchise

Starting back in October 2000, the CSI brand became an institution for CBS, spawning three spin-offs in the years to follow. But, when CSI: Cyber had its plug pulled in 2016, the network was notably without one of its most profitable programs. That's finally set to change with CSI: Vegas, the fifth addition to the growing TV franchise. Whether it proves to be as successful as the immensely popular original or fares closer to the short-lived saga that was the aforementioned CSI: Cyber, remains to be seen.

CSI’s William Petersen And Jorja Fox Will Reprise Their Roles

When CSI: Crime Scene Investigation called it quits in 2015, the producers made it clear that we haven't seen the last of Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, played by William Petersen and Jorja Fox. As series creator Anthony E. Zuiker noted to Deadline, our leads would venture out and dedicate their lives to the "betterment of humanity" in their days off the tube. The response appeared hopeful, if maybe a tad bit vague, but it suggested that their future was looking promising — if undetermined. But, now, Gil and Sara are back. The promised return of these case-solving characters is here, thanks to CSI: Vegas.

This new police drama will see our familiar forensic friends returning to the CSI cast, while also joined by a new cast of characters, whom we'll discuss in just a little bit. At the moment, it remains unclear if William Petersen and Jorja Fox are mainstays on the upcoming show or parenting it during its first few episodes. It should be noted, though, that Wallace Langham and Paul Guilfoyle are also reportedly reprising their CSI roles.

The Main Cast Includes Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mel Rodriguez, And Mandeep Dhillon

Along with William Petersen and Jorja Fox reprising their famous roles, the main cast of CSI: Vegas includes a number of newbies to the CSI franchise, including Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mel Rodriguez, and Mandeep Dhillon. More specifically, Newsome stars as Maxine Roby, the head of the Vegas Crime Lab, Matt Lauria is attached as Josh Folsom, a Level III who serves as the lead investigator, and Mel Rodriguez will play Hugo Ramirez, the Head Medical Examiner. Additionally, Dhillon rounds out the cast as Allie Rajan, a Level II CSI who follows her dreams in Sin City.

Most notably, Paula Newsome is recognizable for her role as Detective Moss in HBO's Barry. Furthermore, Matt Lauria is known for his performances as Luke Cafferty in NBC's Friday Night Lights and Ryan York in NBC's Parenthood, and Mel Rodriguez should be familiar to TV lovers thanks to his acclaimed work in HBO's Getting On and Fox's The Last Man on Earth. Also, Mandeep Dhillon was seen in Netflix's After Life.

The Revival Will Be Run By Burn Notice’s Jason Tracey

There's a decent chance that you're familiar with Jason Tracey — assuming, of course, you love procedural dramas. He worked on USA Network's Burn Notice and CBS's Elementary as a writer and producer, while also offering his pen to CBS's Cold Case at one point down the line. Now, with over 15 years of experience, Tracey is getting a chance to work on his own show, thanks to CSI: Vegas. Specifically, the scribe will serve as the showrunner and executive producer, and he wrote the pilot. We'll have to wait to see if CSI: Vegas reaches the same rating heights as his previous hit shows.

CSI: Vegas Will Bring The Franchise Back To Where It Started, Combining The Classic Formula With A New Age Of Technology

It's time to blend the old with the new. While CSI's formula is well-proven at this point, we're in a new era, one that brings new advances in technology — which comes in handy when you work with developing forensics. It's time for a few advancements, though the producers behind one of the longest-running TV franchises don't want to rock the boat too much.

They know that people like the comfortable charms of the show's well-established playbook, so CSI: Vegas aims to bring the best of both worlds. It wants to give long-time fans that nostalgic feeling, while also advancing the CSI blueprint beyond the simple template that was followed during the program's heyday. Therefore, the hope is that this modernized series brings in CSI lovers and new audiences alike — providing a winning blend of proven success with welcome changes and surprises.

CSI: Vegas Will Premiere On Wednesday Nights Starting This Fall

One can reasonably assume that CSI: Vegas will be one of the biggest shows of the fall season. So, it's understandable that CBS has a lot of confidence in this show's predicted success. With that noted, it makes sense that the popular channel is giving the newest CSI series a primetime slot on Wednesday nights, putting it right smack dab in the middle of their weekly slate of familiar favorites. It's unclear when exactly CSI: Vegas is making its way to the air, particularly as the new show is still in the midst of filming, but we should expect more details to arrive in the months to come.

The Series Was Previously Planning To Premiere On The 20th Anniversary Of CSI But COVID Prevented That From Happening

Like many, many, many things from last year, the pandemic shifted plans for the team behind CSI: Vegas. In early 2020, the anticipated new show was greenlit and aiming to premiere by the fall, which would arrive on CSI's 20th anniversary. Unfortunately, due to film and TV productions worldwide being shut down and / or delayed extensively, the plans to shoot CSI: Vegas in time for this celebrated date fell through. Thus, the creators needed to settle for toasting CSI's 21st birthday instead.

CSI: Vegas Started Production In May

It's official: cameras are rolling on CSI: Vegas. While production was pushed back following massive worldwide shutdowns, the drama finally started filming in May and it's expected to continue shooting through November. Certainly, these broadcast shows take a long time to film, and this one will be no exception. Thankfully, by the time of this writing, one can assume that CSI: Vegas is close to halfway done with Season 1.

CSI: Vegas will premiere this fall.

CSI has been rounding out its cast since the announcement was first made that the original flagship franchise series would be making a comeback on CBS. We’ve heard about some heavy hitters that will be returning and now we’ve learned another is on board. But who are they? (Who, who, who, who, I really wanna know.) Paul Guilfoyle, better known as Jim Brass, is going to be back in the saddle for the new CSI: Vegas series.

So what is this new CSI exactly? CBS is billing it as a sequel rather than a direct reboot and it will feature both old and new cast members. At the time the Eye Network greenlighted the project to series we knew, for example, that William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and Wallace Langham were all coming back. Now, we can add Paul Guilfoyle to the mix.

News broke this week that Paul Guilfoyle will be returning to his former role, though his trajectory will not be the same as his other former co-stars who are set to appear on the sequel series. The aforementioned actors are coming back as series regulars. Guilfoyle, on the other hand, has a planned two-episode arc for Season 1 of CSI: Vegas, according to TV Line.

Paul Guilfoyle is 72, but hardly retired. Over the past several years he’s been fond of the guest stint, appearing on a slew of well-known TV shows, including A Million Little Things, Star Trek: Discovery and The Morning Show. He had a lengthier stint in Colony in 2016 and The Good Fight in 2017 and 2018 and before that his last major role was actually CSI.

It feels like it's been eons since CSI was on the air, but actually the show ran all the way until 2015, with some cast changes over its lengthy run on network TV. (Remember Ted Danson starring in this show before shifting to Cyber and then The Good Place?) As for Paul Guilfoyle, he actually had exited the series a year before its ultimate cancellation, but it will be nice to see him back in action for at least a few episodes. Honestly, in general, CSI: Vegas seems to be adding a nice mix of old and new.

Along with all the aforementioned names, we've also heard Parenthood's Matt Lauria and Mel Rodriguez will both be joining CSI: Vegas and more recently Bloodline's Jamie McShane was added to the lineup. The new series doesn't have a date yet, but it has been greenlighted to series on a major network, so if I were you, I'd be keeping an eye out come fall. In the meantime, there are still several popular CSI cast members who could theoretically pop in or make a return at some point, and we'll be sure to keep you updated if news regarding any more major additions drops.

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:

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.

The end of Marvel’s WandaVision is now a bleak reality to fans, as there won’t be any new episodes dropping on Disney+ anymore. Even so, we can take comfort in the fact that the wacky series that consistently created mass confusion for audiences has now been pretty neatly wrapped up, with a lot of the initial puzzles solved. Though the sitcom vibe stayed mostly intact, one of WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer's original TV tribute ideas was pretty different from what made it into our screens, with the comedic vibe almost being dropped in favor of an episode inspired by CBS' former hit crime drama CSI.

If WandaVision wasn’t confusing enough for viewers, the idea of watching the Dick Van Dyke Show and Modern Family aesthetic give way to a police procedural seems a bit shellshocking. Creator Jac Schaeffer told The New York Times that in the early going, she almost broke up the sitcom format and switched things up for something more dramatic and CSI-esque. Here's how Schaeffer put it:

It sounds like the idea was shot down once the writers really cemented the concept of utilizing cheery sitcoms, without wanting fans to slip into a Wanda-like delirium from such a tonal shift. Or, as Schaeffer put it, they just wanted Wanda’s fantasy to be more optimistic, considering how tragic everything else was in her life.

As cool as it would have been for Wanda to shoot off a couple of classy one-liners while sliding on some sunglasses (even though it’s night) as The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” played in the background, we should probably thank the writers for saving us from that abrupt change. It’s hard to really imagine the show shifting away from its sitcom tributes, and if the CSI episode did happen, it would be tough to fit that into the flashback to Wanda's childhood that explained the TV format.

Wanda viewed American sitcoms as an escape from the horrors of her surroundings, having enjoyed watching older sitcoms for TV Night with her family, which are probably some of her most dear memories, while just about everything after that, from her Hydra experiments to Pietro's death, was horrible in comparison. So rather than putting those already devastating flashbacks through a dark and gritty Crime Scene Investigation prism, Episode 8 sidestepped the “more aspirational family sitcom” angle and just let Kathryn Hahn's sardonic Agatha Harkness guide Wanda along.

As far as unused concepts go from the sitcom side of things, Jac Schaeffer also shared that they nearly built one episode around another classic and highly inspirational 1970s sitcom, though it got phased out for not being a family-focused show.

I honestly could have watched an unending spiral of WandaVision taking on the format of every sitcom out there, but like all good things, the Marvel show of course had to come to an end, and the writers had to be strategic about which TV projects they chose to imitate. While it certainly felt like I was in an episode of CSI myself when watching WandaVision and trying to figure out what the heck was happening, I’m certainly glad the series stuck with its sitcom angle. Even though WandaVision has wrapped up, we’ve got a lot to look forward to from Marvel’s Phase 4 films and new series. (As well as CBS' in-development CSI revival, which probably won't feature a WandaVision-inspired episode.)

CBS has some of the top rated shows on TV, and helping the network along the way was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and all of its spinoffs. All of the series in the CSI franchise, although they were long-running, are now off the air. A new revival, though, is all but confirmed to happen back on the CBS network. CSI veterans William Peterson and Jorja Fox are finishing up negotiating deals for them to sign on for the limited series in their roles from the original. It looks like there is movement on the revival front as even more TV veterans have been added to the cast list for the project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, three actors have been newly enlisted for the CSI limited series revival: Mel Rodriguez, Paula Newsome, and Matt Lauria. It’s not yet announced in what capacity these stars are being added to the project, but they should be quality additions. All three actors have strong ties to television, being regulars in more than just a couple of series over their careers.

Mel Rodriguez had a big year in 2020 and was a part of a number of projects, including a large voice acting part in Disney’s Onward. The Last Man on Earth actor has recent ties to CBS with his role in an episode of the The Twilight Zone reboot.

Similarly, Paula Newsome has this same recent affiliation with CBS for her role in a different episode of the updated revival of The Twilight Zone. Newsome has also appeared in other popular CBS series like Criminal Minds and NCIS.

Unlike the other two new names added to the CSI revival project, Matt Lauria did appear in the original series of the CSI franchise, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He only appeared in a few episodes, but he might actually reprise his role of Agent Matthew Pratt instead of taking on a new part. The Kingdom star works pretty much solely on TV, and while Lauria has been a regular on a number of popular shows, the new revival project on CBS would definitely make his face a more familiar one, and possibly give him a little career nudge forward.

There have been a number of spinoffs made from the OG CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but this new limited series would be a little different than just another spinoff, as it would take after the original program, and be set in Las Vegas. It will be interesting to see what other stars sign off for the revival and if we are to see any more familiar faces.

Even though the CSI limited series is more than just a rumor, it has not officially been signed off on by the CBS Network. Considering how popular the original drama was, it's likely that CBS is doing everything it can to make sure the revival becomes a reality. We will have to wait and see just how long that might take, but until we know for sure, you can catch your favorite past cast members on CBS All Access.

October 6 marked the 20th anniversary of CSI, the beloved crime drama that debuted in 2000 on CBS. The series was successful enough that it birthed three spinoffs, including CSI: Miami and CSI: New York, and popularized a shot that would follow bullets and other external murder methods through a victim’s body. As it turns out, the iconic shot was actually borrowed from a George Clooney film. Who would’ve thought?

Sometimes, the best inspirations come from the most unexpected sources. CSI creator Anthony Zuiker recently spilled some secrets about the CBS drama, which ran for 15 seasons and ended in 2015. Dubbed the “CSI shot,” a bullet’s trip through the body, piercing organs and flesh, offered viewers the gruesome details of what a gunshot or swallowing poison could do to a person. Zuiker revealed that the shot was actually influenced by the 1999 David O. Russell movie Three Kings. Here’s what Zuiker told Yahoo! Entertainment:

That’s pretty cool, and I think it’s a testament to Anthony Zuiker’s creativity that he thought to do a “different point of view of a forensic show.” CSI star Marg Helgenberger also believed that the iconic CSI shot was a fun way to present the science of the show instead of simply discussing it and that, in and of itself, was “revolutionary.”

I think every TV show that we watch now was influenced or inspired by something that came before, so it’s no surprise that the CSI shot is simply an inverted perspective that was impacted by Three Kings. Would we have gotten the CSI shot if Zuiker hadn’t seen Three Kings? It’s hard to say, but I’m glad he did watch it, either way.

Back in February, it was announced that CBS was reviving the original CSI as an event series called CSI: Vegas, which was originally expected to debut on the 20-year anniversary of the show’s premiere. However, the series was delayed due to the Hollywood-wide shutdowns in March, and plans to have the revival ready in time for an October 6 premiere were disrupted by the ongoing pandemic.

The good news is that CSI leads William Petersen and Jorja Fox are reportedly reprising their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle in the potential revival. At this point, however, it’s unclear when CSI: Vegas will premiere, though my guess would be at some point in 2021.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on all things CSI and more. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule for more on what to watch.

For 15 seasons and well over 300 episodes, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation became one of the most popular shows in CBS's history, resulting in a TV franchise that continued to expand and evolve over the course of this ongoing millennium. The show wrapped up in 2015, providing an end to a long-standing era of crime television, but what has the cast done since the show came to a close? A few actors have remained as busy as ever while others aren't working quite as consistently. Nevertheless, here's what the cast of CSI is doing now.

William Petersen (Gil Grissom)

As Gil Grissom, a forensic entomologist and CSI Level III Supervisor for the Las Vegas Police Department, William Petersen played the lead role in CSI for its first nine seasons. The actor won a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance, and he received several Emmy nominations as a producer on the show. 

Prior to his role in CSI, Petersen was notably seen in Thief, To Live and Die in L.A., Manhunter, Young Guns II, Fear, Mulholland Falls, and Hard Promises, which he also produced. He also appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone and the mini-series The Kennedys of Massachusetts. During his time in CSI, Petersen was also seen in The Contender, Detachment, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and Without a Trace.

Following his CSI tenure, William Petersen starred in WGN America's Manhattan. He also appeared in an episode of Blue.

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows)

Playing the part of Catherine Willows, a CSI crime scene investigator, Marg Helgenberger provided an Emmy-nominated performance in CSI. As an actress, Helgenberger first gained notice for her role in the soap opera Ryan's House. She was then seen in China Beach, for which she won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress. She also starred in Tootsie, Always, Bad Boys, Species I and II, Fire Down Below, and Erin Brockovich before she starred in this long-running drama series. During her time on CSI, Helgenberger also starred in In Good Company, Mr. Brooks, and Columbus Day.

When Marg Helgenberger left CSI, she became a series regular on Intelligence, which ran for 13 episodes. She was then a recurring character on Under the Dome. When CSI wrapped up in 2015, Helgenberger was seen in Almost Friends and A Dog's Journey. She currently plays a main character on All Rise.

Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown)

In the role of Warrick Brown, an audiovisual specialist and crime scene investigator, Gary Dourdan played a main cast member for nine seasons on CSI. A musician as well as an actor, Dourdan has worked on both the stage and screen, notably in films like Weekend at Bernie's II, The Paper, and Alien: Resurrection, and TV shows like A Different World, Beggars and Choosers, Soul Food, and more.

Following his time in CSI, Dourdan appeared in Jumping the Broom, The Woods, The Last Letter, and Reversion. He also appeared in episodes of Kim Possible, Glee, Being Mary Jane, Power, Hawaii Five-0, and Mistresses. Most recently, Dourdan was seen in All She Wrote, Guns Guitars and a Badge, and this year's Influence. Up next, Dourdan can be seen in Righteous Villains and Redemption Day.

George Eads (Nick Stokes)

Playing Nick Stokes, a CSI Level II (then Level III), George Eads appeared in nearly every CSI episode. Prior to his role in this CBS series, Eads was seen in episodes of ER, Grapevine, and Savannah. During his time on CSI, Eads was also seen in an episode of Two and a Half Men and he was heard in Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice.

Following his role in CSI, George Eads took on a main role in CBS' MacGyver. The actor was also seen in Sex Ed and The Battle of Jangsari. He was also a star and executive producer in Gutshot Straight.

Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass)

In the role of Jim Bass, a CSI Shift Supervisor and Homicide Detective, Paul Guilfoyle was seen in all-but-one season of CSI. An actor of the stage and screen, Guilfoyle was a prominent stage performer in Boston and his resume includes film roles in Howard the Duck, Beverly Hills Cop II, Three Men and a Baby, Cadillac Man, Hoffa, Mrs. Doubtfire, Quiz Show, Wall Street, L.A. Confidential, Ransom, Primary Colors, Amistad, and Air Force One. He also had guest roles in shows like Miami Vice, Ally McBeal, and Law & Order.

During his time on CSI, Guilfoyle was also seen in Session 9, American Violet, and Company Man. Following CSI's conclusion, Guilfoyle appeared in Colony and The Good Fight. He was also seen in Spotlight, Pandemic, Turnover, and episodes of A Million Little Things, Blindspot, and The Morning Show. He'll next be seen in The Good House.

Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders)

Playing Greg Sanders, a CSI technician, Eric Szmanda played a constant presence throughout CSI's long-standing run. Finding his start in the series The Net, Szmanda found his claim to fame through this extensive crime series. During his time on CSI, Szmanda was also seen in 100 Girls, Little Athens, True Vinyl, and The Rules of Attraction.

Following the series finale, Eric Szamanda was seen in 2018's Shangri-La: Near Extinction and Adverse, which was released earlier this year. He is also the executive producer of a new documentary, P.S. Burn This Letter Please. Additionally, in 2015, the actor appeared in a stage production of The Nerd.

Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle)

As Sara Sidle, a Crime Scene Investigator at the Las Vegas Crime Lab, Jorja Fox played a prominent role throughout the majority of CSI's run. The actress first came to prominence through her recurring role in ER. She followed up this success with a role in The West Wing. Beyond these parts in these three popular shows, Fox has also notably been seen in The Jerky Boys: The Movie, Velocity Trap, and Memento.

Following her time on CSI, Jorja Fox starred in last year's sci-fi film, 3022. She was also a producer on several documentaries, including Extinction Soup, Roll with Me, and most recently, The Animal People.

Robert David Hall (Al Robbins)

In the part of Al Robbins, a medical doctor involved with the CSI, Robert David Hall has been a prominent part of CSI since his introduction in Season 1. Prior to his time in this show, Hall was seen in episodes of The Littles, L.A. Law, Life Goes On, Beverly Hills 90210, Party of Five, The Practice, and The West Wing. He was also heard in G.I. Joe, Batman: The Animated Series, and Superman. He also had roles in Starship Troopers and The Negotiator.

Following his time on CSI, Robert David Hall starred in Rock Story. He's set to play a role in an episode of susaneLand and the sci-fi film Aaah! Roach!

Wallace Langham (David Hodges)

In the role of David Hodges, a lab technician for the Las Vegas Crime Lab, Wallace Langham became a reoccurring character in CSI's third season and eventually became a main character from Season 8 onward. Prior to his role in this popular CBS series, Langham was best known for his role in HBO's acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show. He also played roles in Weird Science, Michael, and The Invisible Kid. He was also a guest star on Murphy Brown, Sex and the City, Murder She Wrote, Medium, 21 Jump Street, and more. He also lent his voice to the series, Mission Hill.

During his time on CSI, Langham was also seen in Daddy Day Care, The Social Network, Hitchcock, and more. Following the show's conclusion, Langham has notably played roles in Taken 3, War Dogs, LBJ, Battle of the Sexes, The Darkest Minds, and Ford v. Ferrari.

Laurence Fishburne (Raymond Langston)

As Raymond Langston, the crime scene investigator who took over for Gil Grissom following his departure, Laurence Fishburne played the lead role in CSI from the midpoint of Season 9 through Season 11. An acclaimed actor of the stage and screen, Fishburne is often best known for his roles in The Matrix trilogy, Boyz in the Hood, Apocalypse Now, The Color Purple, School Daze, Event Horizon, Akeelah and the Bee, and What's Love Got To Do With It, for which he was Oscar-nominated. He's also Emmy-nominated for TriBeCa.

Following his time on CSI, Laurence Fishburne was notably seen in Contagion, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, John Wick Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Last Flag Flying, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Mule, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette? He also appeared in several episodes of Hannibal. He can currently be seen on black-ish.

David Berman (David Phillips)

Playing David Phillips, an assistant coroner to Chief Medical Examiner Al Robbins, David Berman was a recurring presence for nine seasons of CSI before he became a main character from Season 10 onward. In addition to his work in front of the camera, Berman also served a head researcher on the show. During his time with CSI, Berman was also seen in episodes of Vanished, Drop Dead Diva, and Desperate Housewives.

Following his work with CSI, David Berman has most notably been seen on The Blacklist. He also appeared in episodes of Proven Innocent, Daybreak, and Bones. He was also given parts in Midnight Sex Run and Rebel in the Rye.

Ted Danson (D.B. Russell)

In the role of D.B. Russell, the CSI Level III Supervisor who took over for Laurence Fishburne's Raymond Langston, Ted Danson starred in the final four seasons of CSI. He eventually reprised his role in CSI: Cyber's second and final season. Best known for his work on Cheers, its spin-off series, Becker, Three Men and a Baby, and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady, Danson is a veteran actor with a great deal of experience in film and television. He is also known for his work in Damages, Bored to Death, Fargo Season 2, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Made in America, and more.

Following his time in CSI, Ted Danson has most notably been seen in The Good Place, which finished its run earlier this year. He also starred in Hearts Beat Loud and episodes of The Orville. Next, he'll star in the sitcom Mr. Mayor.

Elisabeth Shue (Julie Finlay)

As Julie Finlay, a blood splatter specialist, Elisabeth Shue played a series regular for four seasons of CSI. Best known for her film roles in the '80s and '90s, including The Karate Kid, Back to the Future Part II and III, Leaving Las Vegas, Soapdish, Cocktail, and Adventures in Babysitting, Shue is an Oscar-nominated actress with a wealth of experience. She is also known for her work in Hollow Man, Molly, Tuck Everlasting, Mysterious Skin, Piranha 3D, and Hamlet 2.

Most notably, Elisabeth Shue played a prominent role in Amazon Prime's The Boys, and she was also recently seen in 2018's Death Wish and this year's Greyhound. Next, we're hoping she'll reprise her role as Ali Mills in Cobra Kai's third season. Shue's also slated to join the series On the Verge.

Who is your favorite CSI actor? Let us know in the comment section below!

In February, it was revealed that the folks at CBS were interested in reviving CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an event series called CSI: Vegas. The plan was reportedly for the revival to have aired in time for the original series’ 20th anniversary premiere in October. However, while the drama’s potential premiere in the fall has been thwarted by production shutdowns, we finally have some more details about the CSI revival, and there is news that fans should be very happy about, with at least two O.G. stars set to return.

CSI ended its 15-season run in 2015 and, although it possibly hasn’t been long enough for everyone to fully yearn for the show's return, the CSI: Vegas revival is definitely moving forward behind the scenes. Deadline reports that CSI leads William Petersen and Jorja Fox are in negotiations to reprise their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, respectively. Petersen is also expected to serve as an executive producer for CSI: Vegas.

For the CSI: Vegas revival, the Crime Lab will reportedly be facing an “existential threat,” which provides cause to bring Sidle and Grissom in to lead a new team of crime scene investigators. Furthermore, casting is reportedly underway for several characters who will make up Grissom and Sidle’s Vegas forensics team, with producers aiming to cast three of the four characters with people of color.

As for the character descriptions, we have Maxine, who's described as a former basketball coach and scientist now heading the Crime Lab; Josh, a “Level III CSI” who specializes in crime scene construction; Allie, a highly intelligent immigrant with a bright personality; Chris is described as a “private school kid” and a Level II CSI; finally, there’s Hugo, the head medical examiner for the Vegas team who enjoys working in the morgue a bit too much.

William Petersen and Jorja Fox’s return to the world of CSI is a pretty big deal since they are considered the backbone(s) of the original show. The actors left CSI as series regulars in Season 9 and Season 8, respectively. While Jorja Fox returned as a recurring character later on in the series, William Petersen only came back for the show’s two-hour series finale in 2015. In the series finale, Sidle and Grissom were last seen sailing away on a boat together. We can only hope that their return to the revival means that their romantic relationship has remained intact in the years since the original series ended. Well, we can also hope for other returning co-stars, of course.

While this all very exciting news for longtime CSI fans, the revival has not been officially ordered to series just yet. But, considering that the revival has reportedly tapped William Petersen and Jorja Fox to likely reprise their roles is really good news for the show moving forward. I’d wager that it won’t be long before we hear back about an official series order, though it’s currently unclear how many episodes this event series will be. That said, fans shouldn’t expect CSI: Vegas to be an ongoing multi-season revival a la Fuller House or Will and Grace.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on CSI: Vegas. While you’re waiting for more information about the revival series, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide for more viewing options. And, if you’re itching to rewatch CSI in light of this news, all of the episodes are currently streaming on Hulu.

Law and Order: SVU has become the longest running television series of all time. This is a huge accomplishment, especially for a drama series with so many intricate aspects. The series follows Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her team as they deal with some of the most heinous crimes as the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department.

The addictive storylines, exceptional cast, and gripping storytelling has made Law and Order: SVU a beloved and respected drama with a distinct voice. The Golden Age of television has made great procedural police dramas and crime shows readily available. However, no series has reached the same level of success and entered the pop culture lexicon quite like SVU, but there are still plenty of worthy shows out there to watch when Law and Order: SVU is on a seasonal hiatus.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Netflix)

The Assassination of Gianni Versace is the title of Ryan Murphy’s second season of American Crime Story. The anthology series highlights various true American crime stories, everything from murder to crimes against humanity. The Assassination of Gianni Versace explores the murder of designer Gianni Versace by Andrew Cunanan, and the events that led to it. Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Ricky Martin, and Penelope Cruz star in this season of American Crime Story.

Law and Order: SVU fans may enjoy The Assassination of Gianni Versace because it is rooted in real life events. SVU often uses true stories and current headlines as inspiration for their weekly episodes. The second season of American Crime Story also shows how victims can become criminals—a continuous theme of many of the Law and Order: SVU cases. The Assassination of Gianni Versace gives us supreme performances, especially from Emmy winner Darren Criss. The series is available to stream on Netflix. Watch The Assassination of Gianni Versace HERE.

Criminal Minds (CBS All Access)

Criminal Minds began in 2005, and concluded its 15-season run in 2020. The series follows a group of criminal profilers that use behavior analysis to investigate and track criminals. Criminal Minds is a typical police procedural in that it has weekly cases and deals with the main team’s personal struggles, those directly and indirectly related to their work.

Criminal Minds and Law and Order: SVU share in their format, but also in their ability to deep dive into factors that contribute to criminal behavior and crimes. Both series are also two of the longest running dramas of all time. Criminal Mind stands out among the world of police procedural dramas because it focuses more on the criminal than the crime. All 324 episodes of the series are available to stream through CBS: All Access. Stream Criminal Minds HERE.

Chicago P.D. (NBC)

Chicago P.D. follows the 21st District of the Chicago Police Department as they tackle crimes and their own personal demons. Dick Wolf, who also created the Law & Order franchise, created this series. Chicago P.D. was the second series in the Chicago franchise.

Law and Order: SVU and Chicago P.D. exist in the same universe. The two series have done crossover episodes. With Dick Wolf as the creator of both series, they have a similar tone. Chicago P.D. deals with a more diverse set of cases and criminals than SVU, as a more generalized overview of the police department. Both series will be around for a while, giving fans plenty of time to learn to love the One Chicago world and the people determined to protect it. All current and past seasons of Chicago P.D. are available to stream with a TV subscription that includes NBC. Stream Chicago P.D. HERE.

FBI (CBS All Access)

FBI is Dick Wolf’s latest popular series. He originally wanted the show to be part of the Law and Order franchise, with it starting as a backdoor pilot on Law and Order: SVU . NBC passed on FBI and CBS swooped in and bought it. This deal marked the first time in 15 years that Wolf launched a series not on NBC. FBI is trying to become its own franchise for CBS by only being on for two seasons but already having a spinoff called FBI: Most Wanted.

Though it’ll difficult to execute a crossover between competing networks, it’s safe to assume that all Dick Wolf’s series live in the same universe and will have a crossover at some point. FBI has a similar beat and tone as Law and Order: SVU, but with the added bonus of being on CBS, which has its own long history of crime-based series. FBI keeps the trusted and loved procedural style but ups the game with fascinating cases that offer social commentary. FBI is available on CBS: All Access. Stream it HERE.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS All Access)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the first in the CSI franchise. It was a police procedural that highlighted the forensics elements of crime solving. The show aired from 2000 to 2015, lasting 15 seasons and joining the longest running TV show club. CSI mixed weekly cases with the personal struggles of the team members.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, like SVU, deals with a specialized part of the criminal investigation process. The reason CSI managed to be so successful is that it explored a division that most people had no knowledge about, and they showcased the investigative process in such a fascinating way that it built a very loyal fanbase, one that would gladly watch a reboot. Stream CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS: All Access. Stream it HERE.

The Act (Hulu)

The Act is Hulu’s original series about the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Patricia Arquette and Joey King star in this true crime story. The Act won Arquette an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series.

The Act’s leads Joey King and Patricia Arquette are the series’ biggest strength, as they both give outstanding performances. The Act and Law and Order: SVU are similar in that Dick Wolf’s hit series often features cases similar to the one depicted in the Hulu drama show. SVU even has an episode based on the Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee ordeal called Pathological. It aired in 2018. The Act is available on Hulu. Stream it HERE.

Unbelievable (Netflix)

Unbelievable is a Netflix miniseries that dramatizes real rape cases that happened in Washington and Colorado from 2008 to 2011. It follows a young girl, Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) who makes a rape allegation that no one believes. It also follows the two detectives Karen (Merritt Wever) and Grace (Toni Collette) determined to get to the truth.

Merritt Wever, Kaitlyn Dever, and Toni Collette all give stunning performances in their perspective roles. Unbelievable, like SVU, deals with the difficult topic of rape and sexual assault. It’s not an easy show to watch but a powerful one for its portrayal of how the justice system can both fail and vindicate a sexual assault survivor. Stream Unbelievable, the Netflix original series HERE.

Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)

Orange is the New Black is a Netflix original series that follows Piper (Taylor Schilling) as she heads to prison for a crime she committed ten years prior. The series follows the women and law enforcement of the Litchfield prison. Each episode of Orange is the New Black deals with the plot of the season, while highlighting a specific prisoner and showing how their past led them there.

Orange is the New Black takes a dark comedy approach to the criminal justice system—often being very critical of police officers, and often making them the villains. SVU shows how the justice system tries hard to help those in trouble, even if it fails. The shows share in their ability to address the circumstances that can lead to people becoming criminals, whether it is love, environment, or a crime being committed to them. Both series also address how the criminal justice system doesn’t always succeed. SVU has done episodes where Olivia and crew have regretted their approach to a crime or criminal. Stream all seven seasons of Orange is the New Black HERE.

Other Law And Order Series

Law and Order: SVU is part of a seven series franchise. Hate Crimes is the latest one in development. Unfortunately, some of the Law and Order franchise shows are airing in syndication, so they are not available (at the moment) to stream without a cable subscription. However, the Law and Order franchise will be available to stream when the Peacock streaming service launches nationwide on July 15. Until then, the series are available for purchase digitally or stream on NBC...

Law And Order

Law and Order began in 1990 and ended in 2010. It takes a more generalized account of the New York justice system. The cases vary from murder to neglect. Law and Order seasons are available to purchase on most major digital platforms, such as Amazon Prime and iTunes. Buy Law and Order HERE.

Criminal Intent

Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe star in Law and Order: Criminal Intent, a series more focused on the criminals behind the crimes than the victims. Uniquely, Criminal Intent sometimes started with viewers knowing who committed the crime, and then showing the events that followed. Law and Order: Criminal Intent is available to purchase on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and other digital services. Buy Criminal Intent HERE.

Trial by Jury

NBC cancelled Law and Order: Trial By Jury after only 13 episodes. It put the trial part of the criminal justice system as the focus: viewers watched the lawyers prepare for the case and the trial. The entire series is available to stream on NBC.com. Stream Law and Order: Trial by Jury HERE.

Los Angeles

Law and Order: LA was Dick Wolf’s first attempt to expand his worlds beyond New York. Unfortunately, this wasn’t nearly as successful as his original Law and Order series and the One Chicago series. NBC cancelled Los Angeles after one season of 22 episodes. It had the same format as regular Law and Order but with the Los Angeles location. Terrence Howard and Alana de la Garza were two of the series’ leads. Stream Law and Order: Los Angeles on NBC.

True Crime

Law and Order: True Crime is the franchise first anthology series. The first season followed the true life events of the Menendez Murders. It starred Edie Falco. Law and Order: True Crime’s first season aired from 2016 to 2017, but hasn’t been officially cancelled or renewed. The first season of the series is available to stream on NBC’s website. Stream Law and Order: True Crime HERE.

If none of these series spark your interest, then you can always just rewatch all 21 seasons of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit on Hulu. Stream it HERE.

Revivals have been all the rage on the small screen in recent years, ranging from The X-Files to (briefly) Roseanne to Mad About You, and now CSI may join the pack. CBS' popular procedural drama ended in 2015 after 15 seasons and more than 330 episodes, so it seems like a natural fit to return for another go. While that will undoubtedly sound great to fans, there are some catches that mean you probably shouldn't start celebrating CSI's triumphant return just yet.

First, the good news. CBS is reportedly considering another round of CSI in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary, which officially happens in October 2020, and Deadline reports the goal is for the revival to feature cast members from the original series, including William Petersen and Jorja Fox.

The revival, if ordered to series, would be set in Las Vegas and serve as a sequel to CSI, which itself wrapped with a feature-length finale in 2015. The new incarnation of CSI would hail from writer Jason Tracey of Elementary and Burn Notice, original series production company Jerry Bruckheimer TV, and CBS TV Studios.

Now, the not-so-good news. No deals for the potential revival have been finalized, and it's in the early stages of development. Deadline further reports that it's possible the show can't come together within a financial framework that works for the parties involved. No formal offers to original cast members have evidently been made at this point, so there's no confirmation of how many (if any) original characters would return.

Furthermore and arguably most importantly, this revival would be for an event series rather than an ongoing series. So, unlike revivals a la The X-Files and Roseanne, there is presumably no intent for CSI's return to its original network to be the first of many revival seasons. Neither CBS nor CBS TV Studios weighed in with comments on this potential CSI return, so nothing has been confirmed or officially denied. So, what would be ideal for a CSI revival?

Well, considering how the CSI series finale wrapped in 2015, rumors of William Petersen and Jorja Fox being approached could be a sign that their characters' romance is going strong in the years since the series went off the air, which is better than what fans of JAG's central couple got when David James Elliott and Catherine Bell reprised their roles on NCIS: Los Angeles.

Ideally, who else would return? Fans should probably rule out George Eads even if CSI does get the go-ahead for a CBS revival considering his latest exit from a CBS series, but what about Marg Helgenberger and Ted Danson, for example? Danson's NBC series just wrapped, and if The Good Place didn't cost him his taste for drama, then maybe he could return for a CSI event series as well.

For now, you can always rewatch the original run of the series. All 15 seasons and the two-part series finale of CSI are available streaming on Hulu. For some less time intensive options than 300+ hours of procedural drama, check out our 2020 midseason premiere schedule.

Shortly after its premiere on October 6th, 2000, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation became one of the most ubiquitous TV shows of the early 21st century. The popular series had 15 seasons on CBS, spawned several spin-off series (including CSI: Vegas with its OG cast members), and played a major part in fueling our society's growing fascination with true and fictional crime stories. Suffice to say, the broadcast TV show has had a major legacy in our collective pop culture in the new millennium. But everything needs to wind down at some point, and the series met its end in 2015. Likewise, not everyone from the cast stayed on-board throughout CSI's 15-year stint. The show's ensemble rotated in regular fashion. There were only a select handful who stayed until the finale.

It's hard to stay attached to one project for a long period of time. Sure enough, most of the actors involved with CSI exited over the extensive course of its television run. Some departures from the hit series were perhaps a little more controversial than others. Some exits were graceful. Others were not. Nevertheless, only a very few of the actors stayed on CSI from beginning to end. Here are the various reasons why each major cast member left.

William Petersen (Gil Grissom)

From the very beginning, William Petersen was one of the main characters at the forefront of CSI. In the role of Dr. Gil Grissom, he stayed on the show for nine seasons between 2000 and 2010. Petersen opted to leave CSI in order to pursue more stage acting opportunities, according to EW. While the actor enjoyed the experience, he felt fortunate for the chance to pursue other projects. Though he no longer appeared on screen, Peterson stuck around as a producer on the series and even made a pair of returns prior to the show’s conclusion. He would later return again for CSI: Vegas, but departed prior to the second season. 

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows)

Marg Helgenberger was another series regular from the very beginning in the role of Catherine Willows. Additionally, Helgenberger's departure from CSI mirrors William Petersen's exit. She came on-board in 2000 and stayed involved for 12 seasons. In 2012, however, she told CBS This Morning (via International Business Times) that she was leaving the program to explore other opportunities away from the show. While she did make a brief cameo in season 14, Helgenberger was away until the series finale, where she returned alongside Petersen. She would also reprise her role for CSI: Vegas during the show’s second season.

Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown)

As Warrick Brown, Gary Dourdan was similarly on CSI from the beginning. And similar to William Petersen, he left the series in Season 9. Unlike his co-stars, however, Dourdan didn't return to the show later down the road. That's because his character died during that season’s premiere. As it was reported by EW back in 2008, it came down to contract negotiations. The parties involved reportedly couldn't meet a resolution, and it was announced that Dourdan would leave the show. He has bounced back and forth between movies and TV since he left the popular show for good, the most recent being And Just Like That… Season 2.

George Eads (Nick Stokes)

In the role of Nick Stokes, George Eads has remained a familiar face on CSI throughout its long-standing run on television. And he stayed on the show for a good while too. Specifically, he was involved until the 15th season, which makes him one of the very few actors who stayed on CSI throughout many seasons. There was a 2013 THR report that Eads had a nasty dispute with a writer, which likely soured him from the experience of returning to the famous CBS series. In any case, it didn't make a difference since the show wasn't renewed for a follow-up season. Despite his long tenure on the program, he wasn't in the series finale, the feature-length "Immortality," with William Petersen replacing him.

Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass)

Likewise, Paul Guilfoyle, who played Jim Brass, kept a long stay on CSI. The actor was involved in the debut season, and he stayed on-board until Season 14, though the producers reportedly decided not to bring him on for the show's final set of episodes. As THR reported, it was the producers decision to not let him participate in the show's final season, and there are reports that the actor made an emotional farewell speech on his final day of production. But it wasn't goodbye for good, evidently. Specifically, Paul Guilfoyle returned to reprise his famous role in "Immortality." After CSI came to a close in 2015, Paul Guilfoyle still stayed connected to CBS. The TV actor currently plays a role in CBS' All Access' The Good Fight. He was also one of the OG actors to return for CSI: Vegas in 2021.

Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle)

While she previously received notice for her guest appearance on ER and her work on The West Wing, it was Jorja Fox's role as Sara Sidle that made the actress/musician well-known to television viewers everywhere. The actress played a role throughout the show's extensive run, with only a portion of time between 2008 through 2011 where she temporarily left the show. That changed when she became a main character again in 2011, and she stayed on until it came to a close in 2015. Despite a short-lived absence from the dramatic series, Fox (mostly) stuck with her CSI job until the end. Fox also came back for CSI: Vegas a little more than a half-decade later.

Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders)

While Eric Szmanda was more recurring than main during his first two seasons on CSI as Greg Sanders, the actor became a regular face throughout the show's weaving tenure. He officially became a main player during the show's third season, and that's what he remained until the show's final days. Like several of his co-stars, Szmanda was back in the fold for CSI: Vegas a few years later.

Robert David Hall (Al Robbins)

Likewise, Robert David Hall was only recurring throughout the first two seasons of the immensely popular CSI, but he was bumped up into the main cast around season three in the role of Al Robbins, and the TV actor remained one of the main players on the program until it came to a close in 2015.

David Berman (David Phillips)

It took a good while for David Berman's David Phillips to get the main cast treatment. He was a recurring character during the show’s first nine seasons, but the commitment to the popular show paid off. He became a main player during Season 10; that is what he ended up being until CSI's series finale.

Wallace Langham (David Hodges)

Wallace Langham didn't start playing the part of David Hodges until well after CSI Season 3 was underway. Nevertheless, the actor became a permanent fixture on the show. He went from a recurring character to lead role in Season 8, and remained in that position until the show's finale. He even had a lead role in the first season of CSI: Vegas. 

Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews)

As Henry Andrews, Jon Wellner didn't become a CSI fixture until its fifth season was well underway. Nevertheless, after an extended period of being a recurring character, he was bumped up to series regular in Season 13. From there, the actor stayed a regular until his final scene in CSI's series finale.

Louise Lombard (Sofia Curtis)

In the role of Sofia Curtis, Louise Lombard was first introduced to the world of CSI in Season 5. From there, the actress had an inconsistent record on the show. Specifically, she was a recurring character until Season 7, when she became a series regular. But it only lasted for one season. It was shortly thereafter that she served for a season as a recurring character before leaving the series after Season 8, only to make an appearance in Season 11. Nevertheless, Season 11 was the final time viewers saw Louise Lombard on the show. 

Liz Vassey (Wendy Simms)

Similarly, Liz Vassey only had one season where she was a series regular on CSI. In the role of Wendy Simms, Vassey was first introduced in Season 6 and she was a recurring character until Season 10 when she was promoted into being a series regular for one season. She was a recurring character for a brief period in Season 11 before she left the show for good. Ultimately, according to Digital Spy, Vassey was let go when the show went in a new creative direction. It sounds like she ultimately didn't have a choice in the matter, with the producers rather unceremoniously letting the TV actress go.

Lauren Lee Smith (Riley Adams)

Lauren Lee Smith did get the opportunity to play a main player in Season 9 of CSI, but it was a short-lived experience. In the role of Riley Adams, the actress was introduced in the season's third episode and she left in that year’s finale, never to return to the show. Ultimately, as one producer told TV Guide Magazine (via TV Fanatic), Smith was let go because she didn't find a balance in the ensemble. Neither the performance nor the character were blamed, however.

Laurence Fishburne (Raymond Langston)

There's no doubt that Laurence Fishburne was one of the biggest names to join the cast of CSI. The acclaimed actor of the stage and screen joined the show in Season 9 as Raymond Langston, and he served as a main character on the show until Season 11. It was ultimately Fishburne who made the decision to leave the program. He wanted to continue working on both the stage and the silver screen, and he left the world of TV behind, per Deadline.

Ted Danson (D.B. Russell)

Ted Danson also became one of the biggest names to join the ensemble of CSI. The television/film actor joined the CBS series in Season 12, shortly after Laurence Fishburne left, in the role of D.B. Russell, and he remained a fixture on CSI until the series finale. Danson stayed on the ship until its final docket, even though the actor was only a fixture for CSI's few remaining seasons. Danson opted to reprise his role of D.B. Russell in the second season of the short-lived CBS spin-off series, CSI: Cyber.

Elisabeth Shue (Julie Finlay)

Another one of the big names who entered CSI later in the game is Elisabeth Shue, who played the part of Julie Finlay. The acclaimed actress was a main character on CSI between Seasons 12 and 15. Nevertheless, Elisabeth Shue was nowhere to be found in the feature-length finale, "Immortality." It's not entirely clear why she didn't want to return. 

Elisabeth Harnois (Morgan Brody)

Elisabeth Harnois joined the series later in its run and stuck with  CSI until the end. The actress first appeared on the CBS drama towards the end of Season 11 in the role of Morgan Brody. But starting in Season 12, Harnois became a series regular and remained one until the big series finale.

While there are many actors who opted not to stay on CSI for its entire run, there were several actors who ultimately stuck with it until the end — even if they weren't there from the beginning. And while we wait for more on the return of CSI: Vegas this fall, check out the 2023 TV schedule for all the latest premieres.

Before the show investigated its last crime in 2015, CSI defined a whole new millennium of hit television. In the years after the CBS crime drama first premiered back in October 2000, CSI blew up into an extremely popular TV franchise, the likes of which will rarely — if ever — be seen on broadcast TV again. That highly syndicated empire eventually expanded with spinoff shows like CSI: Miami and CSI: New York, as well as the more short-lived CSI: Cyber.

CSI was practically an institution of television until the flagship drama and its spinoffs came to their respective ends. There are approximately 797 episodes of CSI out there, which adds up to nearly 25 days of forensics bliss. (Well, not for the victims.) And when each of the CSI series were on the air, they welcomed a treasure trove of talent. It's hard to fathom how many eventually famous faces made their way onto these crime investigation shows — more often than not, these cameos were made before the stars were famous.

Therefore, let's take a moment to highlight just a few of the most noteworthy cameos and surprising guest star appearances, celebrating the insane talent that's been seen on both CSI and its localized spinoffs. There are, of course, a lot of cameos that get overlooked here, for brevity's sake. But be sure to let us know in the comments which are your favorite cameos.

Justin Bieber As Jason McCann (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

In 2010, Justin Bieber was quickly becoming one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. The young, boyish musician was known for his radio-friendly tunes, earning no shortage of fans with his bubblegum hits. The singer decided to take a break from music-making, though, to flex his acting skills (or, perhaps, the lack thereof) in the Season 11 premiere of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Clearly, in the world of television, this guest star appearance was a big get.

In what was only his second TV acting job, Justin Bieber played Jason McCann, a dangerous young man who was pretty far removed from the squeaky-clean image the young star had built up. Specifically, McCann was both a serial killer and a serial bomber, and was certainly a dangerous opposition for the crimefighters to face.

Justin Bieber's Jason McCann appeared in two episodes, and was killed in a hail of bullets, though not before he'd killed five different people and attempted to slay ten (or more) throughout his time on the show. It was certainly a darker turn than some fans might have expected from the young musician, although acting isn't really something The Biebs returns to all-too-often.

Channing Tatum As Bob Davenport (CSI: Miami)

Channing Tatum broke out big with 2006's Step Up before making an even bigger splash with critically acclaimed movies like Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, Foxcatcher, Logan Lucky, Hail, Caesar!, Side Effects, The Hateful Eight, The Lego Movie and more. Before all that, though, Channing Tatum was an up-and-coming model and stripper working his way into the acting field with brief appearances in film, music videos and television shows.

One of Channing Tatum's very first acting gigs was an appearance in season three of CSI: Miami, where he played Bob Davenport, a wannabe rapper who said he found a crime scene. There is a point in Tatum's episode where the character of Bob Davenport is suspected to be the murderer, but it's later revealed that he wasn't the one behind the killings. TWIST! That was Channing Tatum's only CSI appearance, for better or worse, and we thankfully know that things really picked up for the actor after that fact.

Taylor Swift As Haley Jones (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

Much like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift was making quite an impression on the Billboard Top 100 in 2009, and it was clear that she was a major star in the making. CBS and the producers of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation wanted to capitalize on that growing fame by having Swift appear on the hit program. But unlike Bieber, Swift didn't play a murderer. Instead, she played a murder victim named Haley Jones, who is portrayed through flashbacks.

The role was Taylor Swift's first ever acting appearance, and while it meant playing a corpse, Taylor Swift was ecstatic about it. Here's what Taylor Swift told MTV about this opportunity to play a cadaver on the popular TV series.

Certainly, there aren't too many people to be happy to play a dead person. But count Taylor Swift contentedly among them.

John Krasinski As Lyle Davis (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

Before John Krasinski found his big break on television with the über-popular comedy The Office, he was a working actor trying to find roles wherever they could be found. Sure enough, in addition to appearing on the NBC spinoff  Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Krasinski made an appearance on the fifth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In the early career role, Krasinski played the part of Lyle Davis, a suspect questioned about a very mysterious death.

While John Krasinski is known for his lovable antics on The Office, his character on CSI wasn't quite so nice and affable and worthy of Pam's love. While Lyle didn't murder anyone, he did leave a man to die, and robbed that person to boot. Not exactly an outstanding citizen. In the world of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, he may not have been the worst person to interact with, but he certainly wasn't nearly as endearing and ultimately sweet as Jim. [Grins into camera]

Chris Pine As Tommy Chandler (CSI: Miami)

Before Chris Pine made a big impression on moviegoers as the new Captain Kirk in Star Trek (2009), and even before becoming the love interest in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, he was an up-and-coming actor trying to carve a name for himself in the business. It seems like that's a common trend for actors, since Chris Pine is yet another performer who gained acting experience working on CSI. Pine took on the part of Tommy Chandler.

In season two of CSI: Miami, Chris Pine's Tommy Chandler winds up in the wrong hands, so to speak, and winds up a corpse who died through a fatal bit of erotic asphyxiation. The kinky sex games turned into an accidental murder, and Pine's character wound up in a body bag before the end of the episode. Alas, this is probably not the role that Chris Pine wants to be remembered for the most. But hey, work is work, and this was certainly a high-profile resume builder.

Shailene Woodley As Evie Pierpont (CSI: NY)

One year before Shailene Woodley would find herself in the lead role in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and several years before she would wow audiences and critics alike through her powerful performance in The Descendants (and eventually Big Little Lies), Shailene Woodley made an appearance on CSI: NY.

In the Season 3 episode, 15-year-old Shailene Woodley played Evie Pierpont, an actress who gets caught in a twisted situation during a reenactment of Marie Antoinette's life when a mock guillotine takes a bad turn. The role is notably a pretty dark one, as one would expect for CSI or its spin-off, but it did help the young actress get on television. Just one year later is when she found a captivated audience with her own hit TV show.

Michael B. Jordan As Morris Calvin (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

Before he was launched into the acting stratosphere in major movies like Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther – though less so with the ill-fated 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four – Michael B. Jordan was acquiring TV roles in hit shows like The Wire and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. On CSI, Jordan played Morris Calvin, a member of a rap crew who took his fandom a little too far, resulting in the Crime Scene Investigation crew trying to figure out who murdered three people.

While the episode's guest appearances by Method Man, Obie Trice, Akon and Blink-182's Travis Barker were perhaps a little more noteworthy at the time of the original airing, Michael B. Jordan's appearance in CSI will no doubt become one of the most prolific in the show's extensive run on TV. Within the MCU and beyond, Jordan is quickly becoming one of the biggest movie stars working today, and this early appearance was a brief glimpse at the actor's rise.

There are many other noteworthy cameos and guest appearances from the CSI franchise, including those from Jeremy Renner, Dakota Fanning, Zachary Quinto, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Segel, Josh Groban, Adam Scott, Diddy and even Kim Kardashian West. However, it's important to note that CSI and its spinoffs were on the air for literally 15-plus years, so it might take a team of professionals to cover every single cameo. Nevertheless, CSI has amassed an incredible run of famous stars.

While the show's forensic team has solved its last case (at least, until the time comes for the inevitable reboot), it's clear that CSI and its spinoffs were fertile grounds for young actors and famous musicians to make big impressions during the early days of their acting careers. But if you have more famous cameos worth mentioning, be sure to comment below. This particular case is far from closed.

UPDATE: The Friday, February 1 episode of MacGyver did indeed have George Eads' Jack Dalton say goodbye to the team and exit at the end of the broadcast. He went off to join the U.S. government's new task force to lead the hunt against Kovacs. It was a heartfelt, emotional farewell. Jack got to live to see another day, so it's possible the character will return at some point down the road ... if George Eads elects to return. He's the one who wanted to leave.

Original post:

MacGyver just set up how Jack Dalton will be written off the CBS show. At least, that's how it looks. George Eads plays the character, and he asked to leave the show after after an on-set issue during filming for Season 3. All we knew was that he'd be leaving and his final episode would air in 2019. Now, the promo for the February 1 episode appears to reveal how the character of Jack will exit:

Well, if that plays out as advertised, it certainly shows how Jack will leave. He's being set up to "lead the hunt" on a terrorist, and this open-ended new mission may be his last. We see George Eads' Jack talk to Lucas Till's Angus "Mac" MacGyver, saying Jack invited Mac there to "say goodbye to a good friend." The promo ends with Jack in uniform, slow-motion walking away.

George Eads had reportedly asked to be released from his long-term contract multiple times, saying he wanting to leave Atlanta and return to his daughter in Los Angeles. He had some kind of on-set altercation this past October, leading him to leave the set. When he returned, he reportedly asked to be written out.

As fans have noted, this is not the first time George Eads had an on-set issue, leading to his departure from a CBS show. He left CSI after 15 seasons, one season after an on-set problem with one of the writers. It seemed like he might quit, but he took a leave of absence and came back for another season before being written off.

George Eads is a popular actor, and he was a draw for many fans on both CSI and MacGyver. He's had good luck with CBS that way, but also clearly some bad luck with a few clashes and earlier-than-expected exits.

Hopefully MacGyver doesn't feel the need to kill off Jack in this "final mission." We don't need another Clayne Crawford Lethal Weapon situation. Same for Patrick Dempsey leaving Grey's Anatomy. Did they have to kill off Derek? Fans aren't privy to everything that happens on set, so when they lose a favorite actor any which way they tend to just get upset and blame the show.

In this case, Jack may get a hero's exit from MacGyver, as opposed to being killed off or exiting in ignominious fashion. It's kind of like how Criminal Minds wrote off Thomas Gibson's Hotch. There was on-set drama -- another altercation with one of the show's writers -- but they didn't kill off the character, they came up with a good reason for his exit. They also left the door open for the character, which ... is that something they might do for Jack as well?

MacGyver Season 3, Episode 14 is called "Father + Bride + Betrayal." Here's the official synopsis from CBS:

We'll see exactly how MacGyver says goodbye to Jack Dalton -- temporarily or forever -- when Season 3 continues. It looks like the big exit airs next Friday, February 1 at 8 p.m. on CBS, but let's wait and see how it plays out. Here's what else is playing on the small screen this 2019 midseason.

While it's only in the rarest of cases that watching a TV character do something will make a viewer attempt similar behavior, there's no denying that everything we watch on the small screen plays a part in morphing our knowledge and behavior patterns. Such as the way romantic comedies distort realistic expectations for relationships or, for another more pertinent example for our purposes, the way certain shows depict drug and alcohol use.

For a comprehensive study on how often beer, liquor and a variety of drugs get mentioned on television, the addiction and recovery resource website Project Know surveyed over 70,000 televisions scripts for related terms. And while there's room for error by way of unscripted or indirect references, visual or verbal, the illuminating study absolutely adds to the conversation about behavioral connections between viewers and characters. Everything is classified by genre and drug type, as well, so you can learn Seinfeld is #7 in TV opium references, because poppy seed muffins. Here, we'll be focusing on the 10 shows that ranked highest in the total number of booze and narcotics mentions. Somebody tell Ricky we're starting.

10. Trailer Park Boys

For 16 years now, Canada's most elite citizens Bubbles, Ricky, Julian, Jim Lahey and Randy (among others) have been responsible for some of TV's most ridiculous and madcap comedy, and Trailer Park Boys somewhat surprisingly rounds out our top ten. Surprising because the show doesn't make many official ranked lists here in the U.S., though unsurprising because it's Trailer Park Boys. Rum and weed are as natural to this show as credits and dialogue. In fact, Project Know's study shows that the ribald comedy -- which has released movies with Countdown to Liquor Day and Don't Legalize It as subtitles -- is TV's #1 abuser of marijuana by a long shot, with 408 mentions of the sticky stuff.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 584

9. Bones

If this were a list solely about bone references, or if bones were somehow considered a drug, then Fox's Bones would definitely be at the top. But the long-running drama, which just recently wrapped its 12-season run, has seen more than a normal TV series' share of hard-hitting narcotics by way of Brennan and Booth dealing with cases involving drug dealers, addicts and meth labs. And, you know, the occasional body found in a wine barrel. As Project Know's study points out, crime and action dramas feature the most references to most harder drugs that comedies avoid, and usually in a more negative light. Bones has the most opium mentions of any show (20), and it's #6 in heroin mentions (51).

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 596

8. Shameless

As Shemeless fans know, the Gallagher family isn't one that has been affected by the horrors of crack. No, it is most definitely the liquid dragon that has caused many of the problems for patriarch Frank and son Lip, and the study shows that Shameless jumps up to #5 when it's just alcohol being considered. (Not that weed doesn't show up from time to time.) Though Shameless blends laughs into the story more than some other comedy-dramas, the series doesn't sugarcoat or glorify the effects of alcoholism, and it does feature characters attempting to get help for said problems. With Season 8 coming to Showtime at some point in the future, one can assume it would jump even higher on the list if it was updated next year.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 645

7. Law & Order

Bong-bong. Few TV shows manage to make it to 20 seasons, especially scripted ones, but Law & Order did it, and those 450+ episodes were chock-full of cases involving intoxicants of all kinds. (Procedurals do allow for the largest number of ways to make those references happen, after all.) In fact, Law & Order showed up all over Project Know's study, as it was #10 for alcohol mentions (365), #3 in cocaine (69), #2 in crack (42), #9 in heroin (47) and #4 in marijuana (72). The only two it didn't break into the top ten for were opium and methamphetamine, which is rather strange, since the latter is the one drug type that crime dramas feature more than any other genre. Fun fact: this is the second show to feature William H. Macy.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 688

6. ER

You might be detecting a pattern here, as the long-running NBC hit ER is yet another procedural drama, though this one is the only hospital-set series in the list, which is interesting. With 331 episodes, though, it's not exactly shocking that ER is responsible for more plots involving drugs and alcohol than all but five other TV shows. As there's never a dull moment in Chicago's fictional hospitals, ER was responsible for the ninth most boozy mentions, with 377, and it's likely that Abby's alcoholism played into that. As well, the show has the fourth most meth namechecks with 254, which is a hell of a lot of meth for a network drama. (Breaking Bad, meanwhile, has 473.) Side note: this is William H. Macy's third appearance on the list.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 720

5. Law & Order: SVU

One wonders what the number of drug and alcohol references would be if all of Dick Wolf's NBC series were accounted for, since both the flagship Law & Order and its most successful spinoff are here, and SVU's sex crimes very often involve somebody doing drugs or selling drugs or needing them. The show ranks #6 for meth (209), #7 in crack (15), and #6 in alcohol (431). It's unclear from the study at which season the scripts for Law & Order: SVU stopped being tallied, and its 400-episodes-and-growing distinction implies the show has as much of a chance of cutting back on drug and alcohol references as it does of airing that Donald Trump-inspired episode.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 774

4. Cheers

No one should be surprised that a TV show that takes place in an actual bar is high on any list involving alcohol. One of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, Cheers aired for eleven seasons and rarely did the show make it from one commercial break to the next without bringing up beer or showing multiple people drinking on screen. (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, meanwhile, did not make the alcohol list, but did show up for crack.) Just as rare were Cheers' attempts to demonize the vice for its damaging properties, and nobody ever really got realistically drunk on a regular basis. Still, people talked about imbibing a ton, and Sam Malone's titular establishment currently ranks #1 for alcohol in TV, with 783 mentions. Do the math to see just how few times the show mentioned something other than grandpa's cough medicine.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 785

3. The Simpsons

According to Project Know's study, animation is a minority for drugs and alcohol references, making up just 6% of total programming. And it would be easy to assume The Simpsons (and Family Guy) make up at least 3% of that. A beer swiller almost by trade, Homer frequents Moe's Tavern enough to give The Simpsons the second highest total for alcohol mentions (759), and the episode "Homer vs. the 18th Amendment" has the third highest number of boozy references of any TV episode. And even though that's the only area of the survey in which the Sunday night stalwart ranks, the show has numerous memorable episodes featuring Homer stoned or tripping in some way, and he was somewhat recently seen in the future getting blazed with Chief Wiggum. Plus, Otto should make this list by himself. (This marks 4 shows for William H. Macy.)

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 828

2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI was, for 15 seasons and a handful of major cast changes, one of the biggest shows on TV, and served in some ways as CBS' answer to Law & Order as far as long-lasting procedurals go. But even though this particular lab-driven series lasted for fewer seasons than L&O or its biggest spinoff, CSI still managed to pack in more drug and alcohol references than any other scripted TV crime drama. In all those cases that Gil and Catherine and Stokes and Russell handled, CSI rose the ranks to become #4 in alcohol mentions (460), #4 in cocaine (56), #5 in heroin (52) and #3 for methamphetamine (326). And like other dramas on this list, CSI almost always played up the negative connotations of drug use.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 933

1. COPS

I'd call for a drum roll here, but somebody just stole my drum and jumped over a fence with it. The granddaddy of all TV shows when it comes to drugs and alcohol cautionary tales is the reality TV progenitor COPS, which has done the unthinkable by crossing the 1,000-episode threshold this year, and we assume they'll be celebrating by busting into some rednecks' meth lab trailer or setting up a sting on a crack den. Or, when the opportunities may not be as grand as those mentioned, the central authorities might deal with half-naked men and women that have seemingly been drunk since COPS moved from Fox to Spike back in 2013. COPS leads all shows in mentions of meth (530), heroin (109) and crack (71), while also nailing the second place spot for marijuana (238) and cocaine (98). Somehow, it didn't crack alcohol's top ten.

Total Number of Drug and Alcohol Mentions: 1155

So as you all can now see, television has been sneaking way more drug and alcohol references past viewers than you probably imagined. Again, you can head to the full Project Know study to find out even more interesting and somewhat shocking stats, such as Archer's Vice season catapulting that show to the top of the list for cocaine references, or that a Macgyver episode has more opium mentions than anything else. After that, to see what new and returning shows are on their way back to the small screen, drugs or no drugs, head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV schedule.

Marg Helgenberger really hasn't been hurting for work since her tenure on CSI ended. The veteran actress first hopped to Intelligence and then made her way to Under the Dome. Now, she's landed a role in another potential TV series, playing Admiral Bobbie Decker in the Behind Enemy Lines pilot. The announcement makes her the first person cast in the upcoming pilot.

Marg Helgenberger should be a good fit for the pilot, as she's pretty much been a CBS regular for more than a decade. CSI, Intelligence and Under the Dome were all shows that aired on the Eye Network, so it's not a huge surprise that Behind Enemy Lines will keep the actress around. In the pilot, Helgenberger will play a Navy Admiral who is described by Variety as "the most powerful woman in the military."

If the drama project moves forward to series, it's going to have a bit of a different setup than a lot of TV shows, as it will focus on a group of U.S. soldiers trapped, well, behind enemy lines, but will also feature other perspectives from the military. Individuals on an aircraft carrier will also be followed, as will intelligence operatives based out of Washington, D.C.

The project has been in the works for quite some time. Originally it was in contention for a pick-up last season, but this pilot order is the closest Behind Enemy Lines has come to moving forward to series. And even a McG-directed pilot may not be enough to affirm that the show will be hitting CBS' actual schedule at any point in the future.

Clearly it will be some time before we learn whether or not Behind Enemy Lines will move forward. The TV project does have some name recognition, as it is based on the movie of the same name. Several DVD sequels were even made after the original movie, so clearly there is a fanbase for the franchise out there. However, pilot season is still a crapshoot. Pilots are noticeably unreliable indicators of the future success of a series, and networks have a limited number of new timeslots to fill each season. Sometimes a network will even have a cool drama and a meh comedy in contention and will have to go with the comedy simply because that is what a particular timeslot requires. We're hopeful Marg Helgenberger will be headed back to TV, but there's no indication that will be happening just yet.

Keep an eye on the TV landscape in May when the networks often make final decisions. Plus, to see what has already been cancelled and renewed take a look at our network rundown of new and returning shows.

Fans of the CBS procedural mega-franchise CSI, prepare yourselves. The last entry in the franchise, CSI: Cyber has just been cancelled by the network.

The news of the cancellation just came through from The Hollywood Reporter. This makes CSI: Cyber the first of the CSI franchise to be cancelled after only two seasons. The second entry in the series of procedural programs, CSI: Miami, ran from 2002-2012, CSI: New York ran from 2004-2013, and the first entry in the franchise, the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation just wrapped up a mega 15 season run last fall.

CSI: Cyber, the fourth installment of the franchise, followed a team of elite FBI investigators in Washington D.C. who search out those involved in cyber crimes across the country. Avery Ryan (Patricia Arquette) is a behavioral psychologist who heads the team as a cyber psychologist experienced in rooting out criminals who use the dark net as a weapon.

The show didn’t exactly premiere to critical praise. The first season garnered only mixed reviews, and only received a 35 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the average rating per critic being 5.1 out of 10 possible points. The site’s critical consensus noted that CSI: Cyber had some impressive on-screen talent, but failed to do anything with the actors or storylines that stepped beyond what the past iterations of the show had done, meaning that the show ended up being simply more of the same for the CSI franchise.

Ratings for the show have also shown that audiences haven’t been so hot on the property, either. The premiere managed to net almost 11 million viewers, but by the time its 13-episode first season was done, that had slipped to almost 7 million viewers. And, even though the second season was given an 18-episode order by CBS, CSI: Cyber couldn’t manage to up its numbers any, and actually had the ratings fall a bit in the second season.

The show tried to stop the audience bleeding by adding CSI star Ted Danson to the cast roster in the second season, after he finished his four-year stint on the original show, which was, famously, set in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the addition of a member of the CSI cast didn’t do anything to bolster the ratings. And, by the end of the series on March 13, the show experienced the lowest ratings it had seen so far.

Well, you can’t say that CBS and the folks behind CSI didn’t try to keep the legacy alive. After 36 seasons of television across four franchise shows, the whole series managed to rack up numerous award nominations, wins and fans. It also made CBS a popular place to go for fans of police procedural storytelling, which led to shows like NCIS and Criminal Minds.

If you’re already sad about losing CSI: Cyber, you can drown your sorrows by checking out our summer TV premiere schedule and finding a show to fill your time for the next few months.

Of the TV shows that manage to reach pure greatness, however temporary, very few retain that level of quality throughout their entire runs. It’s hard to pull the plug when a series is in its ratings prime, and networks are much more likely to go well beyond the point of common sense if the audience isn’t completely absent.

Here are 13 shows that should have come to a close well before they actually did; at least for those that have ended already, as some are still airing. Such wise decisions would have stopped some series from reaching notoriously low depths, while allowing others to be solely remembered for their stellar early seasons. Alas, those decisions weren’t made, and the episodes just kept on comin’. Now find your dark passenger and read on.

Dexter

When Dexter premiered on Showtime in 2006, it boasted clever writing, a tension-filled string of situations, and the first major post-Six Feet Under role for the consistently engaging Michael C. Hall. Then as the years went by, the situations became less intense and the antagonists got goofier and goofier, while every single character dynamic got stretched out longer than it should have. Particularly the one between Dexter and Debra, which took some weird left turns. But you know what? All might have been forgotten had the serial killer drama stuck the landing, but the series finale stumbled more than almost any other episode.

Family Guy

It almost feels like a daydream to think back to a time when Family Guy was one of the freshest comedies on TV. That was back in the ripe old year of 1999, when Seth MacFarlane first entered the ring to become Matt Groening’s most successful Sunday night co-headliner. Of course, that success wasn’t immediately recognized or appreciated, and Fox put a halt to Family Guy in 2002. But rather than a constant entry on “Canceled Too Soon” lists, Family Guy returned to Fox in 2005 and has been there ever since, turning cutaway gags into its own language and beating a dead horse with that same language. Even though the ratings have drooped in recent years, there’s still no end in sight.

The Real World

I might be wrong, but I think there are more seasons of The Real World than there are cities in the world. Premiering back in 1992 when reality TV wasn’t a term that people used with derision yet, The Real World became a major hit for MTV, offering an intriguing look into what it’s like when young and brash people are allowed to co-exist on camera. And it definitely worked. For quite a few years. Even for some years into the crossover with Road Rules. But definitely not for 30 seasons. (Soon to be 31 seasons.) The episodes somehow even managed to double in size after Season 20. I don’t get this.

ER

For a good patch of the 1990s, ER was the perfect counter-balance to NBC’s Must See TV comedy block. It boasted the likes of George Clooney in his pre-superstar years and Juliana Margulies before she became The Good Wife, plus a bunch of other extremely talented actors who brought life to the complex characters and soundly dramatic situations created by novelist Michael Crichton. But then the steam ran out once most of the original cast exited the show, and even though the performances remained largely enjoyable, the stories and writing just got cyclical and tired well before the Season 15 finale aired.

Two and a Half Men

For most of eight seasons, the Emmy-nominated Charlie Sheen played the vice-driven playboy Charlie Harper on CBS’ hit sitcom Two and a Half Men, and then in 2011, Sheen stepped off the deep end and had an epic meltdown both on set and in other places as the months went on. You remember the tiger blood. A year later, Angus T. Young decided that the show was filth and went completely against his religious beliefs, so he quit. Were those two calamitous events enough to get CBS to yank the show? Nope, they just added the less exciting Ashton Kutcher and trudged forward for another four disappointing seasons.

Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is a prime example of a show that retained a good portion of its popularity despite turning into a skeleton of its former self. So many cast members from Grey’s Anatomy’s first few seasons are long gone, and those that remained have experienced a conveyor belt of melodramatic and unrealistic situations. Just last year, the show finally bid farewell to Derek using such a ludicrous scenario after behind-the-scenes talks started overshadowing what was happening on the screen. Grey’s is still capable of bringing out shocks and surprises, but ones that probably could have happened long ago had the show been a tight seven seasons rather than sprawling for twelve and possibly more.

Weeds

Although the consistency of the ensemble cast cannot be faulted here, Weeds is one of the first shows that always comes to mind when considering those that lasted too long. When the Showtime dramedy began, it successfully dissected the underbelly of suburbia through the prism of marijuana growth and sales. But then the plot overtook the theme, and later seasons saw many of the characters moving to completely different locations, where Nancy got with drug lords and almost got killed a lot and everyone’s relationships turned extremely over-the-top and cartoonish. It’s basically an outline for how not to let a popular series develop. Although I would have easily taken a spinoff with Kevin Nealon’s Doug.

Lassie

You thought this list wouldn’t take shots at one of the most famous TV dogs ever? Sorry, but Lassie is getting put down. What is the first thing you think of when Lassie gets mentioned? Exactly, someone being in a well and the dog alerting everyone to that fact, and that’s basically it. Well guess what? Lassie lasted for 19 seasons and racked up an astonishing 591 episodes. Dogs barely ever even live that long – the part of Lassie was played by a handful of canine descendants – and the show took the titular pup from the farm to the Forest Rangers to a children’s home. I can only hypothesize that the dog actors were using telepathy to keep the show on the air that long.

CSI

CBS’ ratings monster CSI was on the air long enough to see pretty sizeable advances happening in forensic science, and was a big reason why that branch of investigation became a major aspect of fictional dramas in the years since. But it would have been okay for the show to be influential AND on the air for less than 15 years. I know ratings were definitely the impetus for CBS to keep renewing it, but this was another case where several of the show’s original leads had left and the magic just wasn’t the same anymore. (Spinoffs can also be to blame for that.) Thankfully, the network saw the light last year and allowed for a proper and enjoyable series finale.

Martin

Though Martin isn’t oft-cited when popular shows are discussed, it was a surefire hit for Fox throughout its five-season run. But shit got weird during that final season, as Tisha Campbell dropped a lawsuit against co-lead Martin Lawrence and the sitcom’s producers that claimed she was sexually harassed, as well as verbally and physically abused. This kept her out of the majority of the Season 5 episodes, where her absence was blithely explained away, and though she did return for the series finale, she refused to interact with or film any scenes with Lawrence. That created a highly awkward ending for a season that should have been shitcanned as soon as the troubles split up its central couple.

American Idol

When American Idol began, it was insanely popular both for introducing American audiences to Simon Cowell’s catty judgments and for pioneering the modern version of the televised talent show. Cut to 15 seasons later, and the judges’ table is about as milquetoast as it can be, while the winners no longer command universal recognition. Fox grasped that the ratings were only a fraction of what they were in the show’s heyday and officially called for the currently airing Season 15 to be its last. And then host Ryan Seacrest started jabbering about a possible relaunch already being considered. I can’t be the only one with some Simon Cowell-ish words to say about that.

The Office

Even with its stumbling first season, The Office has to be championed for spinning a successful adaptation out of one of the best British comedies to ever exist, and Steve Carell was a fine quasi-substitution for Ricky Gervais. But like so many other shows, many of which are on this list, the comedy lost its lead actor in later seasons when Carell left. And rather than wrapping up the (admittedly not that interesting) handful of plotlines that didn’t involve Jim and Pam, the creative team decided to bring in a revolving door of new bosses, and almost all forward momentum ceased. Thankfully, the finale was really something special, despite being years too late.

The Simpsons

As a Simpsons fanatic, I kind of want to make myself walk into a field of rakes for putting it on here. But as much as I love the show, I cannot with good conscience defend some of the truly laugh-free episodes that have aired in the past decade and then some. Granted, it’s almost impossible to do something amazingly well for 27 years, and there are still hundreds of solid episodes to make up for the rotten ones. But at this point, the show is more of an entertainment convenience than a necessity, and though the end could likely come in the next few years, there’s seriously no telling how long it will last. So yeah, I retract this entry and declare my hope that The Simpsons will air on Fox forever!

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The end of the year is an ideal time to look back at the 12 previous months in celebrating and championing the biggest and the best things that happened. But it’s also as good a time as any to reflect on some of the bad times that happened, too, since there’s an abundance of eggnog and food around. And it’s here we’ll give a final farewell to some of the shows that didn’t get the chance to carry on through to 2016.

These are the 9 most disappointing cancellations of 2015, a year absolutely full of TV series coming to an end. To be clear, these are shows that were straight-up shut down by the networks, and not ones that ended in an amiable way. Torches are still burning over some of these.

Hannibal

For the past six months, Fannibals everywhere have been picturing NBC execs on the receiving end of Hannibal Lecter’s gourmand sensibilities, as the network’s choice to cancel the show in the middle of Season 3 was like a bonesaw to the skull. Season 3 was Hannibal’s most beautiful and boundary-pushing batch of episodes yet, and while they do serve as a fine closer for one of TV’s most artistic and brainy dramas, I can’t imagine there’s anyone in the world outside of NBC that thought this was the best time to send the show off. Creator Bryan Fuller gets some credit for not wanting to rush into putting Season 4 out for a different outlet, but the regret-filled rage will likely never subside.

Defiance

For the most part, sci-fi fans rarely get to say that their favorite TV series lasted more than a couple of years, and not even genre-centric Syfy is dependable about giving its own series long lifespans. Defiance started out on rocky ground when it debuted in 2013, but it got better as time went on, and viewers grew very attached to the titular town and the humans and aliens that populated it. Created by Rockne S. O’Bannon, Kevin Murphy and Michael Taylor, Defiance felt like a show built to last, but it only made it through three seasons before Syfy brought the Arch down on it.

Forever

Sure, we’ve seen procedural dramas about medical examiners before, but Forever spun that concept by making its main character a 200-year-old immortal trying to figure out the secret to why he cannot die. Now that’s a hook. With Ioan Gruffudd as Dr. Henry Morgan and Judd Hirsch as his confidante (and more), Forever was a fun show that took on some difficult subject matter without ever taking itself too seriously. The show paired Sherlock-esque case-solving with an overarching plot involving another immortal stalking Morgan, and while it wasn’t making any grand and profound statements about life and death, Forever still deserved to make it beyond a single season. And I’m pretty sure the legion of fans who later tried to get the show back on the air agree.

Constantine

Constantine is the kind of show whose cancellation is dealt with in stages. It starts out with anger, which turns into a vague mixture of appreciation and awe that the show existed to begin with, and then that slowly morphs back into rage as one considers it probably would have lasted longer on any other network but NBC. While the ratings for the occult-driven comic adaptation weren’t great, they weren’t significantly horrible for the awful Friday night slot, and Constantine developed a rabid fanbase fairly quickly. The cancellation came after months of “will they/won’t they” speculation, which drew out the pain, and all attempts to find the show a new home have come up empty. But maybe one day…

Chasing Life

While ABC Family’s programming may not appeal to the cultural zeitgeist in the same way as shows from outlets like CBS or HBO, the network knows exactly how to appeal to its targeted demographics. Chasing Life was a good example, centering on a 24-year-old journalist who gets diagnosed with leukemia. Audiences really fell for April and her family and friends, although the ratings took a sizeable dip for Season 2, in which some pretty crazy things happened. The story was left on a pretty open note, and all hopes that Season 3 would get ordered were smashed just days after the season finale, when ABC Family announced the cancellation. Sure, fans can picture whatever ending they want for April, but that’s not quite as fun.

Backstrom

Admittedly, the 13 episodes in Season 1 of Backstrom weren’t as good as the sum of the show’s parts implied, but they were still good, and there’s no telling how much better it could have gotten had Fox not decided to cancel it a week after the season finale. As the grizzled and snarky Detective Backstrom, Rainn Wilson led a solid ensemble through a series of Special Crimes and other more personal circumstances. Based on the popular Swedish novels by Leif G.W. Persson and developed by Bones creator Hart Hanson, Backstrom fell victim to a viewer exodus, as the ratings dropped from 7.98 million for the premiere to just 2 million viewers for the finale. Understanding the cancellation doesn’t make it feel any less sucky though.

About a Boy

Successful book-to-film-to-TV adaptations are generally a rare thing, and About a Boy wasn’t exactly a project that was a small screen necessity. But with Friday Night Lights and Parenthood vet Jason Katims behind the development process, the NBC comedy quickly won over viewers with the chemistry between its quality cast members, the clever writing, and a solid emotional core. That said, audiences started tuning out as the season progressed, and the ratings during Season 2 got bad enough for NBC to yank it from the schedule. It stayed in limbo for months before the ax finally dropped and stopped fans from witnessing where Will and Fiona’s relationship was going. At least the rest of the season was later released on VOD.

The Bastard Executioner

FX seemingly knew what it was doing in greenlighting The Bastard Executioner, a series that should have appealed to fans of both historical fantasy-ish dramas and Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter. The show was definitely dense and deadly enough, and newcomer Lee Jones was the captivating lead to a large and talented cast, but viewers just weren’t that interested. The series premiere failed to attract more than 2.1 million people, and the numbers only got worse from there. It’s not likely that the story of Wilkin Brattle would have ever rivaled Game of Thrones in terms of popularity, but this far-reaching story could have lasted for at least as many years. Even the cancellation was interesting, as Sutter came out and officially threw in the towel himself.

CSI

A few years ago, I would have bet good money that CBS would never take CSI off the air, and that it would eventually outlast all of its spinoffs. But lo and behold, the network announced earlier this year that the long-standing ratings smash would be coming to an end, and they luckily gave creator Anthony E. Zuiker the chance to wrap everything up through a feature-length TV movie. That finale, which brought back long-gone characters, drew in bigger ratings than CSI had seen in years, which was perhaps a sign itself that the crime-filled procedural’s time was up. After 15 seasons, the disappointment from losing CSI is less about regrets over what might have been, and is more akin to an old friend moving away.

Head to the next page and let us know which of these 2015 cancellations hurt the worst.

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When CSI was officially cancelled by CBS last spring, it was a pretty big bummer that was softened almost immediately by the announcement that a 2-hour finale movie would come into play. Sweetening the deal was the fact that a lot of the show’s original players would be returning for the movie, which set up a bombing incident at a casino owned by Catherine Willows and got the gang back together through a series of clever ploys. Although wild and a bit overblown with familiar faces, the 2-hour finale nonetheless gave fans an ending they could take to the bank.

Not all series finales are set up to please the fans, but this one certainly was. After the bomb was set off in the casino, the team found evidence linking the bomb to Lady Heather, the dominatrix who flirted with Gil Grissom during six separate episodes earlier in the show’s run. The history with Lady Heather encourages the team to actually bring in Gil Grissom, who had gotten into some trouble with the local law enforcement while spending time on a boat.

Despite Lady Heather’s rivalry with Sara Sidle over the years, I don’t think anyone wanted her to be a true terrorist, and CSI obliges. It’s a frame job, and when the real terrorist shows up—he’s played by frequent baddie Doug Hutchinson—we know immediately where the episode is going. Regardless, it doesn’t matter, as this was an episode about bringing together the original team and sending them off in a way that pleased fans who showed up earlier in the show’s run as well as the fans who stuck around for the series over the long term.

Although Ted Danson and the new players—minus Elisabeth Shue and George Eads’ characters—are players in the new episode, it really is an episode that is about the original characters, many of whom left at some point but came back for the movie. Willows, Grissom and Sidle get the most screentime (there’s even a bees-oriented scene!). And when Lady Heather eventually does show up, she helps with the case but also helps the tension between Grissom and Sidle to subside.

Which leads us to the lovely final few minutes of the series, when Grissom tells the bomber that he understands bombs as much as he understands oceans, talking to the criminal about a whale and comparing the whale to the bomber’s ultimate love for Lady Heather. Catherine Willows decides to put her “hat in the ring” for a director’s position, and D.B. Russell packed up and got ready to go. While we got closure for many of the main characters, the best moment was when Sara decided to come with him on his boat to try a relationship again.

For a lot of shows, this happily-ever-after would not have worked, but after 15 seasons and numerous cast changeovers, going back to the beginning is exactly what CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation needed and deserved.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is set to close out its run with a finale special that will air this Sunday. A ratings juggernaut for most of its 15 seasons, when CSI takes its last bow, it will leave behind a lengthy legacy, including three spinoffs (two which have already ended), a slew of memorable characters and the revamping of the procedural for modern TV, a revamping that wooed in large advertising deals for the network. However, it almost never happened. Apparently, 15 years ago, CBS didn't really think CSI would fit into the lineup, and almost didn’t end up airing the hit series.

Back in 2000, when CBS was gearing up to announce the new shows that would be added to the lineup in the fall, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation wasn’t a high priority. In fact, in a recent retro article listed over at TV Insider, CBS didn’t think the show really was a good fit for the network’s core demographic. According to the outlet, the test audience is the whole reason we got CSI, and because of its success, later CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and CSI:Cyber. In the past, a lot of crime-based shows were very male-affiliated and females didn’t want to tune in, but when CSI was tested, women were all over it. That’s right, women are a huge chunk of the reason CSI eventually made it on to the air.

As creator Anthony Zuiker later told the outlet, CSI had everything:

It was big, it was bold—at the time it felt very fresh—and most importantly, CSI hit a broad audience. The format of the show was so altering for network TV that it influenced the projects CBS signed on for in the years following. Shows like NCIS, Hawaii Five-0, Person of Interest came out of a format that was similar to CSI. While the veteran series is clearly not as influential as it once was going into its series finale special, there’s no doubt that it has had a major impact on the programming television—and especially network television—offers.

The CSI finale special, which will have a 2-hour run, is set to hit the schedule on Sunday, September 27 at 9 p.m. ET. The special episode should be a good one for fans who have stuck with the series since the beginning, as well as for fans who may have drifted away after a while. William Petersen is set to return to play Grissom, and many other original characters will also be back. (However, Elisabeth Shue and George Eads have, unfortunately, dropped out.) You can check out the first full trailer for the special episode, here.

15 seasons is a lot of seasons for a TV show. Rather than draw out the farewell over another 20 episodes or so, CSI is ready to take its bow in a one shot, blow out, all bets are off movie. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be skimping on all those big farewell moments though. Finales bring back fan favorite characters, and the CSI finale movie is absolutely doing that for our first look at the return of Gil Grissom.

In this TV promo, we see many of our favorites returning, and possibly some long-dormant plot threads ready to be wrapped up. The focal point is the return of the duo that started it all: William Petersen, who left the show in Season 9, and Marg Helgenberger, who hung around until Season 12 (and made a guest appearance since then). They’ll join forces with Ted Danson, who is also coming back along with most of the cast that made it to Season 15. It looks like Elisabeth Shue’s Julie Finlay may not have made it.

Overall, the cast was remarkably stable considering the show’s long run. While the leading role that Petersen started went through the hands of Laurence Fishburne before it ended up in Danson’s hands, the supporting cast has remained mostly intact, with a couple lasting the entire 15 years. Only George Eads' character of Nick Stokes, who made it through to Season 15, will not be returning. One of those who’s been there from the beginning and most of the way through the end, is Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle.

One of the items that the TV film looks to be focusing on is the personal relationship between Sidle and Grissom. While the relationship between the characters actually lasted longer than Peterson’s tenure on the show, it did eventually end, but since so much of that happened off-screen, the fans didn’t get to see it conclude. The movie looks to bring closure, one way or another. We will also apparently learn what’s going on with his bees.

The official cancellation of CSI at the end of last season was as close to a forgone conclusion as you could possible get. It had grown a little long in the tooth and simply wasn’t the ratings powerhouse it had once been. While it’s not exactly clear if a TV movie was the chosen method of exit, or the only one offered, it leaves the show with a lot of history to wrap up in a limited amount of time.

So, if you’re one of the fans who strayed away, will William Peterson bring you back for one more case? The Final CSI:, as CBS is apparently calling it, will air on September 27.

It might really suck for longtime fans that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will be ending this fall with a special movie, but there is a silver lining. Because the series is going out with a made-for-TV movie, most—but not all—of the original cast will be returning, and this week, we got a first look at the gang getting back together on set. Check it out, below.

The picture comes to us courtesy of Marg Helgenberger, who played Catherine Willows on the drama from its inception through Season 12. Also pictured is William Petersen, who played original forensic entomologist Gil Grissom on the show, and Paul Guilfoyle, who played Jim Brass through Season 14. Throw in current cast members Jorja Fox (Sarah Sidle) and Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) and you have one of the coolest reunion photos of all time.

What kind-of makes it better is the fact that this photo isn’t all we are getting. CBS announced back in May that CSI was cancelled, but would not be ending immediately. Instead, to wrap the storyline up, the network is producing a feature-length movie that will bring back the show’s most beloved characters and will bring closure to fans. Since Season 15 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger related to Julie being in a coma, hopefully fans who stuck with CSI for years will get that plotline wrapped up, as well.

So far, we don’t know exactly how CSI will manage to get most of the gang back together for the movie, considering the former characters were all written out in different ways. We do know for a fact that not everyone will be back for the CSI TV movie. Elisabeth Shue was still on the series when it aired its Season 15 finale, but she won’t be back for the final bow, leading us to believe that coma storyline may not end so well for the character. In addition, George Eads left CSI during Season 15, and his character Nick Stokes will also not be returning for the CSI feature. That one’s a bigger bummer, as Eads was also an original cast member.

Still, the CSI finale movie should be a big draw, even for fans who haven’t tuned in for an episode of the series in quite some time. If you’d like to see the cast reunite for an actual episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, you can catch the finale special on Sunday, September 27 at 9 p.m. ET during premiere week. In addition, here’s what else CBS has coming up this fall.

This spring, CBS made the tough decision to cancel its longtime procedural, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. However, CBS has ultimately opted to let CSI go out gracefully with a two-hour TV movie. Unfortunately, while it initially seemed as if all of the former and current CSI cast members would probably reunite for the big swan song, news broke over the weekend that George Eads will not return, after all.

Honestly, this shouldn’t be a huge shock for anyone who has kept up with CSI over the last couple of seasons. Before he ultimately announced he was leaving the show at the end of the 2014-2015 TV season, Eads had had problems with the writing staff and had even taken a leave of absence for a time. George Eads’ character was successfully written out of the plot during Season 15 in a way that ended the character’s run on the show but still left Nick Stokes open to returning.

With that in mind, TV Line reports the writing team had been hoping the actor would show up and had been written in to the 2-hour TV special. The script was already ready and Nick Stokes was going to make a comeback when Eads announced he would not be returning, after all.

On the bright side, he wasn’t given a huge role in the final episode, and the outlet reports the script did not have to go through major rewrites after the actor said no. It's hard to tell why he didn't feel the gig was a gig fit, although he did just leave the series, which may have had something to do with it. Neither Eads nor CBS are excited about talking about the reason why he said no.

Eads isn’t the first cast member to say no to the big CSI goodbye special. Recently, we also learned that Elisabeth Shue will not be returning for the big two-hour shebang. That announcement is actually a lot weirder than Eads,’ considering Shue was involved with the show through 2015 and had made no plans to exit; she also currently has not announced another big acting gig.

It’s not all bad news, however. CSI favorite William Petersen, who played the beloved Gil Grissom on the popular procedural, is taking some time off of WGN America’s Manhattan to return to the CBS program. Marg Helgenberger has also expressed excitement over returning to the drama, and a good chunk of the show’s former cast members are expected to be back. The whole 2-hour episode seems to be formatted in a way that should be pleasant for fans, whether or not they stuck with the show for its lengthy tenure, and that’s really good news.

Luckily, we won’t have too long to wait to say goodbye to CSI: Crime Scene Investgation. CBS is kicking off the fall TV schedule with the goodbye episode, which will air over at the network on September 27, 2015. If you are still invested in the CSI franchise, CSI: Cyber will also be returning to the schedule this fall.

Unlike fans of shows that face sudden and rapid departures from the TV-sphere, avid viewers of the long-running crime drama CSI will get to watch something special for the show’s swan song. But while most of the characters will be there, including some returning favorites, it looks like at least one will be missing, as actress Elisabeth Shue will not be taking part in the series finale. Why you gotta be so cruel, Finn?

News of Shue’s future absence from the extended finale was reported by EW, but there’s no sign of why the actress will not be reprising her role. She was last seen in the Season 15 finale “The End Game,” which was produced before CBS had given a firm decision on whether they’d be renewing or canceling the hit procedural. So one has to wonder if she would have returned in a more full-time capacity had we gotten a Season 16.

But while we have questions about the actress herself, the show’s fans are undoubtedly more interested in seeing how the creative team explains why Julie Finlay isn’t around anymore. The character met a most unfortunate fate in “The End Game,” as she was attacked by a serial killer, which left her in a coma. I seriously doubt the show claims that she made it out of the coma and left her job and friends behind to start up life somewhere where serial killers won’t get to her. I kinda think we’re going to hear something a little more non-lively about Julie’s recovery, or lack thereof. Maybe the episode will start off with a funeral.

But it’s not all bad news, of course. William Petersen will take some time away from starring in WGN America’s Manhattan to return to the CSI world as Gil Grissom for the first time in several years. As well, we’ll get to see Marg Helgenberger reprising her role as Catherine Willows for the first time since an appearance in 2013. We hope there are more familiar faces returning for the two-hour wrap-up, which doesn’t seem to have a plotline in place just yet.

On the flip side of things, viewers won’t actually be saying goodbye to Ted Danson’s D.B. Russell, who has been a part of the show since 2011. Following CSI’s series ender, Danson will be transitioning over to the cast of CSI: Cyber for the first episode of Season 2. He can ruffle Mundo and Ryan’s feathers there.

So don’t forget to tune into CBS on Sunday, September 27, for the two-hour CSI series finale. Maybe send Jules a Get Well Soon card, and a Get Back on TV card to Elisabeth Shue.

When CBS released their fall schedule earlier today, one show’s absence was glaringly obvious. The network has now made it official that CSI’s Season 15 was definitely its last one, and the celebrated procedural has been canceled. It was also confirmed that the series will come to a close with a feature-length TV movie that will bring back two of the show’s most memorable cast members of years past, William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger.

A series that spawned three successful spinoffs, CSI will bid farewell to Las Vegas with a two-hour movie that’s set to air on September 27. CBS execs and creator Anthony Zuiker were mulling over whether a movie or a limited series would be the best way to end things, and this was apparently decided to be the best way to bow out. It will presumably pick up after the Julie-related cliffhanger that Season 15 left viewers wondering about, although that season finale didn’t exactly get the same kind of attention that those of years past has.

It’s unclear just how Petersen’s Gil Grissom or Helgenberger’s Catherine Willows will re-enter the story for the movie, but we can expect a warm re-welcoming. (Though maybe not from Sara.) Petersen left the show in Season 9 to focus more on stage work, though he did appear in an uncredited cameo in Season 11 and a voiceover cameo in Season 13. Helgenberger also left the show for stage work, though she stuck around until the middle of Season 12, at which point her character left to join the FBI.

For those worried that Ted Danson was going to go off and join Fargo Season 2 and leave D.B. Russell behind him completely, fear not! According to THR, Danson (whose CSI contract expired after Season 15 anyway) has signed on to join the latest spinoff CSI: Cyber as a series regular for Season 2, and he’ll lead the cyber crime squad with Patricia Arquette’s Avery Ryan.

CSI’s cancellation was to be expected, as its shift from Wednesdays to Sundays last year left it in fairly dire straits when it came to ratings, and it was no longer the most watched TV show in the world, a distinction lost to NCIS. The shortened Season 15 order of 18 episodes was also a pretty good sign that things were coming to a close. I’m sure it’ll get rebooted in 10 years anyway.

So don’t forget to tune into CBS for the CSI TV movie finale on Sunday, September 27. To find out the future of all your other favorite shows, check out our cancelation/renewal list here.