It may not seem like much, but CBS’s announcement that it is reducing the season order for this season of CSI from 22 episodes to 18 is yet another move toward its inevitable cancellation. First William Peterson left. Then Laurence Fishburne. Then Marg Helgenberger. Then the ratings to what was once the top-rated drama on television began to erode. Then the CBS series was moved from its longtime Thursday night slot to Wednesday night, and now, it’s airing on Sunday nights, and the ratings continue to deteriorate.
Now, CBS has cut the order to make way for other programming it has in mind for that slot later this year, including its spin-off CSI: Cyber (destined, with James Van Der Beek, Luke Perry, and Patricia Arquette, to have one of the most 90s casts on TV) and Vince Gilligan’s Battle Creek.
And sure, CBS will say it’s not really about the ratings, but the inventory. But then once its gone, and nobody misses it, maybe CBS is not quick to bring it back, especially given the expense of the cast (Ted Danson gets $200,000 an episode, alone).
We’ve all seen it before, and I’m personally glad to see that CSI is beginning inexorable decline in its 15th season, ensuring that it will not challenge Law & Order (the show it ripped off) as the longest-running procedural in television history.
CSI is dead, long live CSI!
Source: TVLine