Every CSI Crossover Episode Explained

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Shared universes may have become the norm for popular franchises, but crossover episodes and events were already common in the CSI shows. The CSI franchise started in 2000 with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a show that later would also be known as CSI: Las Vegas. The story about a team of forensic scientists working to solve the strangest cases in Las Vegas was simple but interesting enough to create a thrilling show that would air for 15 years and see three spinoffs and a revival, CSI: Vegas.

The first CSI spinoff was CSI: Miami, a show that started in 2002 and ran for 10 seasons. The format of the series was very similar to that of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and in addition to the different locations, the main difference between the shows was its characters. Two years after the premiere of CSI: Miami, the second CSI spinoff, CSI: NY, debuted on CBS. A fourth spinoff would happen in 2015 with CSI: Cyber, a few months before the end of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’s original run.

Related: Why Lauren Lee Smith's Riley Left CSI After Season 9

For each of the CSI spinoffs, the introduction of the characters and the premise of the show came in the form of backdoor pilot episodes. That was the start of CSI’s tradition of crossovers, but the special episodes were not restricted to setting up new spinoffs only. Crossovers between at least two CSI teams became common, whether in the form of team-ups between the full crews or special appearances by famous CSI characters in one of the other shows. Here is a breakdown of every CSI crossover episode, including the ones that served as backdoor pilots.

The story of Horatio Caine and the CSI: Miami crew started in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 4, episode 22, “Cross