'CSI' Cancelled After 15 Years (VIDEO)
Police procedural drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has been cancelled after 15 years on air.
CBS has announced they have cancelled "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," the seventh longest-running U.S. primetime series with 15 seasons under its belt.
The crime drama series will mark its official end after a two-hour movie special on Sept. 27, with the show's original stars, Marg Helgenberger and William Peterson confirmed to make appearances on the two-hour film.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The decision to cancel what was once a ratings juggernaut was made public during the annual CBS Upfront Presentation event where the U.S. network bared its plans for the upcoming television season.
Once one of the strongest and longest-running drama series on television, "CSI" used to bring in ratings of up to 26 million viewers in the US alone. Prior to the cancellation announcement, "CSI" was struggling with an average of 11.2 million viewers and a 2.1 rating from the 18-49 adult audience bracket.
Series regular, Ted Danson, who plays lead actor CSI Level III Supervisor D.B. Russell, will be shifting to the show's last running spinoff, "CSI: Cyber," to star opposite Patricia Arquette's Special Agent Avery Ryan, who has been announced as a new regular on the series.
Earlier on, "CSI: Miami" was cancelled in 2012, and "CSI: New York" was pulled off the air a year later.
"CSI" initially opened as a breakout hit in 2000, bringing in an average of 20 million viewers at the end of the first season, and ranking in the top 10 shows on television. By season five, it hit a peak 26 million in audience viewership, with spinoffs, "CSI: Miami," "CSI: NY," and "CSI: Cyber" riding the wave of its popularity.
The show ushered in the trend for gritty procedural crime dramas featuring an ensemble cast, technology-based crime-solving methods and intriguing mysteries packaged in a slick production.
