Vegas officially picked up the series on CBS, starring Wallace Langham – Deadline

The venerable CSI the franchise officially returns. CBS gave a direct order to the series at CSI: Vegas, a continuation of the mother ship CSI series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, for the 2021-2021 season.

Returning title CSI stars William Petersen and Jorja Fox, joined by new series regulars Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mel Rodriguez and Mandeep Dhillon, CSI: Vegas hails from writer Jason Tracey, CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer TV. Another fan favorite is also back CSI actor, Wallace Langham, reprising his role as David Hodges.

With CSI: Vegas, the most watched drama series of the 21st century, CSI, opens a new chapter in Las Vegas, the city where it all began. Faced with an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant team of forensic investigators must once again welcome old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and bring justice to Sin City.

Newsome is believed to play Maxine, the new director of the Vegas Crime Lab Lauria would play Josh, a Level III CSI who is typically the Senior Case Investigator and has a knack for reconstructing crime scenes. Rodriguez would play the role of Hugo who took over as chief medical examiner three years ago. I hear Dhillon play Allie, a young CSI level II, an immigrant who followed her dreams to Las Vegas. Petersen and Fox will reprise their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, respectively.

“21 years ago, we launched CSI and watched with admiration this new film series launched an entire genre and became a revolutionary juggernaut that still has global resonance today, ”said Kelly Kahl, President of CBS Entertainment. “We are delighted to welcome the next generation of forensic criminals to the CSI and pair them with legendary characters from the past that we still love, including the extraordinary Billy Petersen and Jorja Fox. Anti-crime technology has advanced considerably over the past few years, and combined with CSI storytelling, we can’t wait to watch this new CSI the team does what they do best: follow the evidence. “

As Deadline revealed last February, when the potential CSI The follow-up was in the early stages of making and developing the deals, the original idea was for the event series to debut in October 2020, marking the 20th anniversary of the mother ship series premiere. This plan was thwarted by the shutdown of production linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tracey, who serves as showrunner, executive product CSI: Vegas with Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed of JBTV as well as CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker, franchise showrunners Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue and CSI: Cyber former Craig O’Neill. Peterson and his longtime production partner Cynthia Chvatal, who produced the original series, also executive producers on CSI: Vegas. Uta Briesewitz will direct the first episode and serve as executive producer (pilot episode only). ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group distributes internationally.

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

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation followed a team of crime scene investigators for the Las Vegas Police Department as they used physical evidence to solve murders. The original cast included Petersen, Marg Helgenberger (who is currently a series regular on another CBS series, All stand up), Fox, George Eads, Gary Dourdan and Paul Guilfoyle. Petersen was replaced by Laurence Fishburne as CSIthe leader. He was in turn followed by Ted Danson. Petersen on the left CSI in season 9. Fox left as a series regular in season 8. She remained a recurring guest for the next four seasons, joining the cast as a series regular at the start of season 12. Langham joined CSI as a recurring in Season 3 and was promoted to Series Regular in Season 8 for the remainder of his run.

Created by Zuiker, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation retired in 2015 after 15 seasons, having launched a billion dollar franchise for CBS covering four series; CSI and fallout CSI: Miami, CSI: New York and CSI: Cyber. They are now joined by a fifth with CSI: Vegas. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the world’s most-watched drama series for seven years between 2006 and 2016.