CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series. CSI premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The ninth season began airing on October 9, 2008 and currently airs in the United States on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is filmed primarily at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.
CSI trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and other crimes. For the first eight and a half seasons, the show starred William Petersen as Dr. Gil Grissom, the night shift supervisor who excels in crime scene investigation. In the middle of the ninth season, Petersen left and was replaced by Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Raymond Langston, a former medical doctor who turns criminalist in an attempt to rid himself of past demons.
Reception of the show is generally good, with ratings making it the number one show on the network several times in its history, although it has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of how police investigations are performed and for its often extremely violent depictions of the crime. CSI has been nominated numerous times for industry awards and has won nine awards during its history. The success of the program has led it to be spun off into two additional shows, an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, a series of books, and several video games.
