CBS Officially Orders ‘CSI: Vegas’ To Series With William Petersen, Jorja Fox & Wallace Langham Returning
After months of rumours, CBS has finally confirmed the return of the daddy of procedural franchises, as they pick up ‘CSI: Vegas‘, a continuation of the original show with stars William Petersen, Jorja Fox & Wallace Langham returning.
The series picks up 6 years after the events of the main ‘CSI’ show finale and will open a brand new chapter in Las Vegas, the city where it all began. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.
Those “old friends” will be original stars William Petersen as Gil Grissom, Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle, and Wallace Langham as David Hodges. There may also be more to come, but those are the only confirmed names from the original cast so far.
They are joined by a new set of CSI’s which include Paula Newsome (‘Chicago Med’, ‘Barry’) as Maxine, the new head of the Vegas Crime Lab. She’s a former basketball coach, a top-flight scientist and a leader in the field of genetics. Recently divorced, she struggles with her son’s opioid addiction; Matt Lauria (‘Friday Night Lights’, ‘Kingdom’) as Josh, a Level III CSI who is typically the lead investigator on cases and has a knack for crime scene reconstruction. He’s Vegas born and bred, and comes from a family of small-time crooks and scammers; Mandeep Dhillon (‘After Life’) as Allie is an immigrant who followed her dreams to Las Vegas. She is a young Level II CSI with a bright future and a sunny disposition. A bonafide genius, she is a double Harvard whiz kid with a PhD in forensic archaeology; And Mel Rodriguez (‘Last Man on Earth’) as Hugo, who took over as Head Medical Examiner three years ago. He has an endless fascination with the bodies that find their way onto his slab, and the morgue is his happy place.
The drama was originally pitched as an event series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show back in 2020… Then the pandemic hit… However, that delay may be good news for fans, as it seems to have spurred CBS to look at ‘CSI: Vegas’ as an ongoing series, not a one-off event (although, whether that actually happens will presumably also depend on the usual viewing figures which dictate renewals and cancellations.)
This series comes from writer/exec producer Jason Tracey, whose previous work includes shows such as ‘Elementary’ and ‘Burn Notice’, CBS TV Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer TV. Tracey would exec produce alongside Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman & Kristie Anne Reed for JBTV, and original ‘CSI’ creator Anthony E. Zuiker. Peterson and producing partner Cynthia Chvatal would also EP.
“Twenty-one years ago, we launched CSI and watched in awe as this new cinematic series launched an entire genre and became a groundbreaking juggernaut that still has global resonance today,” commented CBS President Kelly Kahl in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome the next generation of forensic criminalists to the CSI brand and unite them with the legendary characters from the past who we still love, including the extraordinary Billy Petersen and Jorja Fox. Crimefighting technology has advanced dramatically over the last several years,” Kahl added, “and combined with classic CSI storytelling, we can’t wait to watch this new team do what they do best: follow the evidence.”
‘CSI: Vegas‘ will launch on CBS in the 2021-21 season. Still too early for a UK pick up yet, but we’ll let you know when we hear something.
