This is the way that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will end—not with a 16th season, but with event television. Although it seemed the crime procedural that reinvented the crime-procedural wheel (or, at the very least, slapped a shiny, disgustingly detailed rim on it) might have just gotten lost in the cancelation and renewal shuffle, CBS has announced that CSI will end with a two-hour TV movie in September. This means the current cast, which includes Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue, will have to go out and find work. Wait, never mind, Danson’s already moved on. But he’s not going far—he’ll be joining spinoff series CSI: Cyber as a series regular.
The fate of the long-running show really came into question last fall, when CBS reduced the number of episodes for its 15th season to just 18. When it was time to recommit or GTFO, CBS played it cool and talked about every other show in its lineup instead, like its cool new friend, CSI: Cyber. It seems not even “World CSI Day” could change the network’s mind.
Several CSI vets are slated to return for the TV movie that will air on September 27, including William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger as Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows, respectively. No word on how extensive their roles will be, but maybe those crazy kids will get married in Vegas a la Kelly and Zack. Or maybe Grissom will be there to give away the groom (any groom) and utter a catchphrase at an emotional time like Steve Carell in The Office finale. We’re just saying, a wedding seems like a really good place for this to go.
In the meantime, if you want to reminisce (or just figure out what your parents and/or grandparents were so worked up about in the first place), Hulu is exclusively streaming the first 14 seasons of the show.