CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

A Las Vegas crime lab drives this procedural, following a tight-knit group of forensic investigators who treat each scene as a puzzle of traces and clues. They gather physical evidence, run lab analyses and reconstruct events to build cases that ordinary policing might miss. Episodes pair methodical scientific work with moments that test the team's judgment, ethics and attention to detail, while victims, suspects and families show how evidence shapes lives. The show keeps the focus on the process of proving what happened, using forensics to move investigations forward rather than relying on intuition alone.

Premiering in 2000, CSI was created by Ann Donahue and Anthony E. Zuiker, and it established a long-running ensemble format. The series stars Ted Danson, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall, among others.

Over its run the series received numerous Emmy nominations and captured several wins, often in technical and craft categories tied to makeup, editing and sound. It also earned industry recognition for its production values and became a staple in network awards conversations during its peak years.

CSI reshaped how television and the public think about forensic science, giving rise to the so-called "CSI effect" that influenced juror expectations and popular interest in crime labs. It spawned multiple spinoffs and international adaptations, and its visual style and procedural beats have been widely imitated across crime dramas since its debut.

Critics and audiences reacted strongly to the show's emphasis on scientific procedure, reflected in a 7.633/10 vote average from 1,337 votes. Praise often focused on technical detail and ensemble work, while some criticism targeted occasional leaps between lab results and courtroom certainty. Recurring themes include the ethics of evidence handling, the human cost of crimes, and how technology changes what investigators can prove.