The *Real* Reason CSI: Vegas Was Canceled

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It’s the end for the Sin City’s Crime Scene Investigation team. Ever since news broke that Season 3 would be its last, fans have had countless questions as to why CSI: Vegas was canceled and the real reason the CBS drama is ending.

Why was CSI: Vegas canceled?

News broke that CBS had cancelled CSI: Vegas, along with dramedy So Help Me Todd, in April 2024. So Help Me Todd aired its series finale after two seasons on Thursday, May 16, while CSI: Vegas‘ series finale aired on Sunday, May 19.

As for why CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd were canceled, Deadline reported that it was to make way for CBS’ slate of new shows coming in fall 2024, including NCIS: Origins, a prequel around young Leroy Jethro Gibbs; Matlock, a reboot of the 1990s legal drama of the same name; and Watson, a medical drama around Dr. John Watson from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Watson will take CSI: Vegas‘ time slot on Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. come fall.

Deadline reported that, though CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd had solid ratings, they were still the least watched CBS drama series in the spring of 2023 in both linear and multi-platform ratings. CSI: Vegas averaged arond 6.234 million viewers in its final season, according to Deadline.

The magazine also reported that CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd‘s cancellations were also a result smaller broadcast budgets amid a “soft ad market and overall belt-tightening by media companies,” hence CBS’ other cancellations as well. Along with CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd, NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Hawai’i, was also canceled after its third season earlier this year due to finances.

Still, many cast members were surprised by CBS’ decision to cancel CSI: Vegas. In an interview with TVLine, the week of CSI: Vegas‘ series finale, Paula Newsome, who played the head of the Las Vegas Crime Lab Max Roby, revealed her shock at the series’ cancellation. “I got the news from my showrunner [Jason Tracey], and I was very surprised,” Newsome said. “Because our ratings are so good.”

“She continnued, Our numbers were much higher than a lot of shows on other networks that had been picked up, so that was very surprising, but I know the business is tough,”

Despite CSI: Vegas’ cancellation, however, Newsome told the site that she’s hopeful for her next project.  “The truth about part of what we do as actors is we sometimes have to ‘wait in the hallway’ [between roles], and it’s about enjoying the time in the hallway,” she said. “Before I got CSI: Vegas, two minutes before that call I didn’t know a thing about it! Before I got the call for Spider-Man, I didn’t know anything about it! There’s always time in the hallway, and the most important thing is to enjoy that time, because something is always coming. So make sure that when you have the time off, enjoy it. Travel, relax, work out more.”

Newsome also acknowledged the honor of playing the lead of a broadcast series for three seasons. “[In the past] a show with our numbers would be on for a couple more seasons, no question,” she said. “But yeah, it’s a good run. It should be more. I’m very proud of what we did.”

While CSI: Vegas is canceled, there’s still good news for CSI fans. A month after the CSI: Vegas‘ cancellation news, news broke that another CSI spinoff was in the works titled The Real CSI: Miami. The series, which premieres on on June 26, 204, on CBS, is a true crime docuseries based on the drama of the based on the drama of the scripted CSI: Miami, which aired for 10 seasons from 2002 to 2012. Each episode features gripping real-life crime cases and the cutting-edge forensic science used to solve them. ‘The Real CSI: Miami’ highlights that at the heart of every story is a victim and a family seeking justice,” the logline for the series reads.

News of The Real CSI: Miami also came a week after CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach hinted to reporters that the CSI universe wasn’t ending after CSI: Vegas‘ cancellation. “We definitely think that franchise is alive and well,” Reisenbach said. “We’ll continue to be in discussions. It’s a part of our legacy as a company and yes, I think that ultimately we’ll find different and interesting ways to bring the show back.” CBS CEO George Cheeks added, “In addition to ‘CSI’ being such a global hit and all the iterations, two of the strongest channels on Pluto TV are ‘CSI’ channels. That franchise is very much alive and vibrant. And you could imagine it coming back in many ways.”

CSI: Vegas is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

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