--- description: The crime show's finale will feature a two-hour TV movie starring William Petersen title: 'CSI' to Bid Farewell Next Season image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bd3a4f14455c818/6987ef8f55a859db68a8a154/72493908-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _CSI_ to Officially End Next Season With TV Movie by [James Hibberd, Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd, Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 13, 2015 2:53 PM CUT  William Petersen as Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom in CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION. William Petersen as Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom in CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images by [James Hibberd, Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd, Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 13, 2015 2:53 PM CUT CBS has made it official: One of the longest-running crime dramas will come to a close next season. _CSI: Crime Scene Investigation_ will wrap its 15 seasons with a two-hour TV movie on Sept. 27, the network announced Wednesday morning. The movie will include—as EW was first to report last week—the return of original series star William Petersen. Former co-star Marg Helgenberger will appear in the film as well. In addition, current _CSI_ star Ted Danson will continue to stay with the franchise by moving over to the show’s latest spinoff, _CSI: Cyber_. Broadcast networks always announce a slew of cancelations this time of year in preparation for their upfront presentation to advertisers in New York this week. But CBS ending _CSI_, along with Fox announcing the [conclusion of _American Idol_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/11/fox-american-idol-canceled "undefined") next year, represents the retirement of two 21st century programming icons that were once massive hits and spawned many imitators. In the weeks running up to the announcement, _CSI_ was considered likely to score some kind of renewal despite struggling mightily in the ratings this year. The show averaged 11.2 million viewers and a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 (including seven days of DVR playback). Those numbers could have been potentially survivable for a freshman series, but shows tend to get more expensive to produce as they age. Indeed _CSI: Cyber_ starring Patricia Arquette, will continue on for a second season despite having the same audience as the flagship. _CSI_ ushered in a wave of gritty procedural crime dramas with an ensemble cast that used technology-based murder-solving methods. The slick production and intriguing mysteries made the show a hit when it launched in 2000, and eventually spawned several spinoffs—_CSI: Miami_, _CSI: New York_ and the recently launched _CSI: Cyber_. The broadcaster’s other hit franchises, like _NCIS_ (a spin-off of the _CSI_\-pre-dating _JAG_) and _Criminal Minds_, flourished in _CSI_’s wake, and collectively established CBS as a network for crime dramas. While critics often mocked CBS for spinning off _CSI_, one can’t argue with the strategy’s success—and now nearly every hit show with a procedural element is eyed for a spinoff. _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/13/csi-canceled "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3857168/television-csi-ending-next-season/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3857168/television-csi-ending-next-season/"},"headline":"CSI to Officially End Next Season With TV Movie","datePublished":"2015-05-13T14:53:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:10:00.079Z","description":"The crime show's finale will feature a two-hour TV movie starring William Petersen","url":"https://time.com/3857168/television-csi-ending-next-season/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bd3a4f14455c818/6987ef8f55a859db68a8a154/72493908-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Hibberd, Natalie Abrams / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bd3a4f14455c818/6987ef8f55a859db68a8a154/72493908-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"William Petersen as Dr. Gilbert \"Gil\" Grissom in CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.","caption":"William Petersen as Dr. Gilbert \"Gil\" Grissom in CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.","creditText":"CBS Photo Archive—CBS via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3857168/television-csi-ending-next-season/","name":"CSI to Officially End Next Season With TV Movie"}}]}] ```