‘CSI’ Revival Official, 3 Original Stars Confirmed for Returns

A new iteration of CSI is officially happening at CBS, TV Line reports. The limited-series is equal parts reboot and revival, will be titled CSI: Vegas, picking up two years after the original show’s conclusion.

William Petersen, Jorja Fox and Wallace Langham will return as series regulars, reprising their roles from the original series. Petersen starred as Gil Grissom, Fox played Sara Sidle and Langham was lab tech David Hodges. New cast members will include Matt Lauria, Paula Newsome, Mel Rodriguez and Mandeep Dhillon. The new series, which has potential to be an ongoing show rather than a limited series, was originally scheduled to premiere in October 2020 to celebrate the original show’s 20th anniversary, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CSI: Vegas comes from writer Jason Tracey, CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer TV. Tracey will serve as showrunner and executive producer. The new show will open “a 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.”

“I’m excited to be bringing back the CSI franchise to all our fans who have been so loyal to us for all these years,” Jerry Bruckheimer said in a statement, via Deadline. “And to be back in Las Vegas where it all started over 20 years ago makes it even more special. We’ve enjoyed working on this project with CBS and look forward to welcoming back Billy, Jorja and Wallace as they join a new group of talented actors in CSI: Vegas.”

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ran from 2000-2015 and was the most watched drama series of the 21st century, averaging over 25 million viewers at its peak. It spawned multiple spinoff series including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and CSI: Cyber. The original show was set in Las Vegas and followed a team of investigators employed by the Las Vegas Police Department. Petersen’s Gil led the team as a series regular from Seasons 1-9, Fox was a regular from Seasons 1-8 and Langham’s Hodges was a recurring character before becoming a regular for Seasons 8-15. All three actors appeared in the show’s feature-length final episode, “Immortality.”

“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,” Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment, said 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, and combined with classic CSI storytelling, we can’t wait to watch this new CSI team do what they do best: follow the evidence.”