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CSI: NY (Crime Scene Investigation: New York) is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004 to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seasons and 197 original episodes. The series is an indirect spin-off from the veteran series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and a direct spin-off from CSI: Miami and follows the investigations of a team of New York City forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and crimes.

The show debuted in September 22, 2004, and is produced in partnership with the Canadian media company Alliance Atlantis.

The second CSI franchise was cancelled by CBS on May 10, 2013 of CSI: NY after nine seasons.[1]

Opening Theme[]

Premise[]

This show follows the Crime Lab of the New York City Police department. Unlike in CSI these characters are considered detectives, and Mac Taylor, Stella Bonasera, and Danny Messer all mention the time they spent as cops on the force. The detectives travel to all five boroughs of the city and also sometimes travel outside city limits for cases.

The show is a police procedural and often deals with issues found in a large city such as mob activity, gang violence, and ethnic, cultural, and ability differences. It has also dealt with the sensitive issue of HIV infection, although reviews of how the topic was handled were mixed.

Cast and characters[]

Actors/Actress Years active Character Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Gary Sinise 2004–2013 Mac Taylor Main
Melina Kanakaredes 2004–2010 Stella Bonasera Main
Sela Ward 2010–2013 Jo Danville Main
Carmine Giovinazzo 2004–2013 Danny Messer Main
Vanessa Ferlito 2004–2005 Aiden Burn Main
Anna Belknap 2005–2013 Lindsay Monroe-Messer Main
Robert Joy Sid Hammerback Recurring Main
A. J. Buckley Adam Ross Recurring Main
Hill Harper 2004–2013 Sheldon Hawkes Main
Eddie Cahill Donald Flack, Jr. Main

CSI: NY features an ensemble cast led by Gary Sinise and Sela Ward. The following cast members appeared in the final season:

  • Gary Sinise as Detective Mac Taylor; a Detective First Grade and the Director of the New York Crime Lab. He first appeared in the CSI: Miami episode "MIA/NYC NonStop," and his final appearance in the series finale "Today Is Life." Sinise appeared in 200 episodes of the CSI franchise.
  • Sela Ward as Jo Danville; a Detective First Grade, a sworn federal marshall and the team's assistant supervisor. She acted as Interim Director of the New York Crime Lab for a short period during season eight. She first appeared in the seventh season premiere "The 34th Floor," and remained with the series until its finale. Ward appeared in 57 episodes of CSI: NY.
  • Carmine Giovinazzo as Danny Messer; a Detective Third Grade and a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Level 3. He was a patrol sergeant for a short time during the series' eighth season. He first appeared in the CSI: Miami episode "MIA/NYC NonStop," and his final appearance in the series finale "Today Is Life." Giovinazzo appeared in 198 episodes of the CSI franchise.
  • Anna Belknap as Lindsay Monroe-Messer; a Detective Third Grade and a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Level 3. She first appeared in the second season episode "Zoo York," and her last appearance in the franchise was in CSI: NY's series finale "Today Is Life." Belknap appeared in 172 episodes of CSI: NY.
  • A. J. Buckley as Adam Ross; a Lab Technician and a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Level 1. Buckley first appeared in the season two episode "Bad Beat," and became a series regular during season five. Buckley continued to appear in this capacity until the series finale. He appeared in 141 episodes of CSI: NY.
  • Robert Joy as Sid Hammerback; the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City. Joy first appeared in the second season episode "Dancing with the Fishes," and became a series regular during season five. Joy remained a main cast member until the series end. He appeared in 168 episodes of CSI: NY.
  • Hill Harper as Sheldon Hawkes; a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Level 3, formerly the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City. He first appeared in the CSI: Miami episode "MIA/NYC NonStop," and his final appearance in the series finale "Today Is Life." Harper appeared in 198 episodes of the CSI franchise.
  • Eddie Cahill as Donald Flack, Jr.; a Detective First Grade assigned to the NYPD's Homicide Division. Cahill appeared in 197 episodes of CSI: NY, beginning with the series premiere "Blink." and ending in the series finale "Today Is Life."

The following cast members departed the series during its run.

  • Melina Kanakaredes as Stella Bonasera; a Detective First Grade and the team's Assistant Supervisor. Kanakaredes first appeared in the CSI: Miami episode "MIA/NYC NonStop," and she departed the series in the sixth season episode "Vacation Getaway." She appeared in 141 episodes of the CSI franchise. 
  • Vanessa Ferlito as Aiden Burn; a Detective Third Grade and a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Level 2. Ferlito first appeared in the CSI: Miami episode "MIA/NYC Nonstop," and she departed the series in the second season episode "Heroes." She appeared in 29 episodes of the CSI franchise. 

Episodes[]

Crossovers[]

In addition, CSI: NY has twice crossed over with spin-off CSI: Miami. Characters from CSI: NY were originally featured in the second season CSI: Miami episode, "MIA/NYC NonStop." The shows crossed over a second time in the CSI: Miami season fourth episode, "Felony Flight," in which Lt. Horatio Caine from Miami-Dade came to New York to assist Mac in tracking down a common nemesis. The story was continued in the second season CSI: NY episode, "Manhattan Manhunt," when the murderer flees to New York and Horatio returns to the city with Mac to continue the investigation.

Reception[]

When it originally aired, CSI: NY seemed to be the least popular of all of the CSI shows, and many people thought it was too dark, possibly due to the fact that it was shot using a blue light. At the beginning of the second season, however, this stopped at the order of CBS President Les Mooneves. [citation needed]

Ratings[]

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of CSI: NY on CBS:[2][3][4]

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May Sweeps.

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
18-49 Rating/Share
(rank)
1 Wednesday 10:00 P.M. September 22, 2004 May 18, 2005 2004-2005 #21 13.6 4.9/13 (#23)
2 Wednesday 10:00 P.M. September 28, 2005 May 17, 2006 2005-2006 #22 14.2 4.7/12 (#23)
3 Wednesday 10:00 P.M. September 20, 2006 May 16, 2007 2006-2007 #23 13.9 4.3/11 (#25)
4 Wednesday 10:00 P.M. September 26, 2007 May 21, 2008 2007-2008 #28 11.7
5

Wednesdays 10:00 P.M.

September 25, 2008 May 14, 2009 2008-2009 #17 13.5
6 Wednesdays 10:00 P.M. September 23, 2009 May 26, 2010 2009-2010 #23 12.7
7

Fridays

9:00 P.M.

September 24, 2010 May 13, 2011 2010-2011 #37 10.7
8

Fridays

9:00 P.M.

September 23, 2011 May 11, 2012 2011-2012 #38 10.3
9

Fridays

9:00 P.M.

September 28, 2012 February 22, 2013 2012-2013 #26 11.3

DVD Releases[]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete First Season 23 October 18, 2005
The Complete Second Season 24 October 17, 2006
The Complete Third Season 24 October 9, 2007
The Complete Fourth Season 21 September 23, 2008
The Complete Fifth Season 25 September 29, 2009
The Sixth Season 23 October 26, 2010
The Seven Season 22 September 27, 2011
The Eighth Season 18 September 25, 2012
The Ninth and Final Season 17 June 25, 2013

U.S. Broadcast History[]

  • First Run: September 22, 2004 – February 22, 2013 -- Wednesdays 10:00pm/9:00pm central (Season 1-6); Sunday's 10:00pm/9:00pm central on CBS (Season 9-10).
  • Repeats: "CSI: NY" was rerun on Spike TV in November 2004 to 2009. Both A&E and Spike TV share the rerun rights to the crossover episodes (with CSI: Miami), Felony Flight and Manhattan Manhunt. It is also airs on CTV (in Canada) since 2004 along with (CSI and CSI: Miami). In 2009 TNT started airing reruns of the show.
  • As of 2020, the series is being aired on ION Plus on Thursday mornings.

Trivia[]

  • This was the second CSI series to be cancelled.
  • Of the four series in the CSI franchise, CSI: NY lost the least amount of regular cast members during its run, with two. CSI: Cyber also lost two main cast members.
  • This is one of two CSI series to crossover with a non-CSI branded show (Cold Case).

See also[]

References[]

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