CSI, CSI: MIAMI, CSI: NY Sweep Awards, But May Get Cut

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Too big to fail? That attitude died with Enron and was buried under the ashes of AOL-Time Warner. Now CSI needs to watch its neck.

The franchise dominates viewership around the globe. It just swallowed up three nomination spots for the International TV Audience Awards at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. It rakes in ratings that would make the NFL green with envy.

It also stands to lose one of its shows to satisfy CBS’s bottom line.

What, you thought this racket was about ratings? Audience following? Artistic merit?

It’s the same the world over: All about the shekels. And CBS has come to a point where it wants to shift cash into fresh projects, rather than keep shelling out for a series that can already make millions on syndicated re-runs.

The warning signs are all there. The syndication for the CSI spin-offs is locked into a robust alphabet soup of cable networks – TNT, A&E, AMC and Spike TV. All that CSI: Miami and CSI: New York need do is kick back, and they can rake in cash.

So why keep pouring money into it? CBS is turning its attention – and revenue – elsewhere. The vaunted 10pm time slot for CSI: Miami and CSI: NY was sacrificed to support starter shows last season. Even the CSI producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, is cooking up new fare. The latest release from Jerry Bruckheimer, Trooper, Mira Sorvino vehicle de jour, is coming out later this year. Sorvino will fill the boots of a New York state trooper with a hard edge and a heart of marshmallow.

All signs point to a death knell soon. CSI: New York and CSI: Miami are the weakest links in this money machine, so it’ll be one of their heads on the chopping block. My vote is for Miami to get the axe, as Caruso costs the network more in cash and sweat.

Stay tuned, forensics fans. There’s going to be a killing, likely by next fall. The culprit’s already caught, though – if anybody asks, you can tell them that it wasn’t lack of audience or acclaim that killed a CSI, just the old bottom line.

One Comment

1. 

   Sarah

   May 3, 2012 at 5:28 pm

   Personally I love CSI: NY and would be really bummed if it gets cancelled. I’m hoping they opt for CSI NY to get to 200 episodes and renew it.

   Reply