CSI: Miami is a spin-off of the popular CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Like the original CSI, CSI: Miami is a police procedural about a team of forensic scientists. It is set in present-day Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. Filmed in the United States, the series has been exported to over a dozen countries worldwide. The show averages 20 million viewers an episode making it Monday's #1 show, and one of the most watched shows in North America. In 2006, Reuters reported that the show is "the most-watched U.S. series around the world". The series is distributed internationally by Alliance Atlantis.
The team investigates mysterious and unusual deaths to determine who killed whom and how, and also solves other serious crimes such as rape. The show frequently focuses on a single case in each episode as opposed to the two-cases-per-episode storytelling of its sister shows, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and CSI: NY.
Miami Dade CSI Head Investigator Lieutenant Horatio Caine played by David Caruso, is the Head of the Miami-Dade crime lab, a forensic analyst and former bomb squad officer. In season 1 episode 2 Caine revealed that everything he knew had been taught to him by his mentor, Al Humphreys (played by Lou Beatty, Jr.), who is killed by an explosion while trying to defuse a bomb in the episode. Caine was briefly married to Eric Delko's sister Marisol, which ended when she was murdered by a Mala Noche sniper.
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective Calleigh Duquesne played by Emily Procter, is a ballistics specialist. Her father is an alcoholic attorney who has tried to rehabilitate himself several times. She has a brief relationship with John Hagen in season 2; in the season 3 finale Hagen shoots himself while she is getting a different gun, after having pulled a gun on her earlier in the episode. In season 4 there were hints at some sort of relationship with Special Agent Peter Elliot. At the beginning of Season 5 she is temporarily in charge of the lab while Horatio and Delko are in Brazil, and has been given a promotion to Lieutenant. She appears to be very good friends with fellow CSIs Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe.
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective Eric Delko played by Adam Rodriguez is a fingerprint and drug identification expert of Cuban and Russian descent. In episode 410, "Shattered", Delko's job is endangered when he is arrested for drug possession, but it turns out he had been buying the drugs for his sister Marisol, to ease the pain of her leukemia treatments. Delko's sister was murdered by a Mala Noche sniper after she married Delko's boss, Horatio Caine. He is also the team's underwater recovery expert. While trying to rescue a woman kidnapped by escapee Clavo Cruz, Delko was critically wounded by one of Cruz's henchmen. He survived, and is now back on the team.
Miami Dade Medical Examiner Dr. Alexx Woods played by Khandi Alexander, is a Miami-Dade coroner. Alexx began her medical career in New York as a physician and became a coroner with the CSI team after moving to Miami for personal reasons. She often talks to the dead bodies as she examines them, usually as a way of giving them comfort in death. She is married with a young son and daughter. Alexx is not the chief medical examiner, as proved in one the episodes when she was offered to transfer to the night shift by the Chief Medical Examiner, but rejected.
Miami Dade CSI Level 1 Detective Ryan Wolfe played by Jonathan Togo, Ryan was working as a police officer at the time he was hired by Horatio, who noted with approval that Ryan kept his firearm immaculately clean (his predecessor, Speedle, died in the line of duty as a direct result of his poor gun maintenance). He first appeared in the episode "Under the Influence", but did not become a regular cast member until "Hell Night". Ryan suffers from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and appears to believe in curses ("Curse of the Coffin"). Ryan was impaled in the eye with a nailgun in one episode ("Nailed").
MDPD Homicide Detective Francis 'Frank' Tripp played by Rex Linn, is a Texan homicide detective who regularly accompanies the team to the crime scenes. He has a gruff demeanor and while not having much knowledge of forensic procedures, has an appreciation for the capabilities of the CSI's and moreso of their results. He has a good working relationship with all the CSIs, particularly Calleigh. He is divorced, with three kids (episode 118, "Dispo Day"). Made regular in season 5, recurring previously.
Miami Dade CSI Trainee Natalia Boa Vista played by Eva LaRue, a new Latina DNA analyst only allowed to work on cold or unsolved cases due to the restrictions of her federal grant. She and Delko dated briefly. They broke it off after a pregnancy scare. She escaped an abusive marriage before joining the crew, when her association with a society for battered women was key to helping the team solve the murder of a woman (who had been killed by the victim's ex-husband) assuming an alias for protection. It was revealed at the end of the fourth season that she was the mole in the lab, but the negative information soiling the lab's reputation was not leaked by Boa Vista but by State Attorney Monica West, and Boa Vista had only reported information to the Feds that showed the lab in a positive light. As of season 5, she became a CSI field trainee and has joined the main cast (she had previously been a recurring character in season 4) and, much to her distress, she discovered her abusive ex-husband, Nick Townsend, was out of prison and served her a restraining order; as he was working for a private company that cleans up crime scenes, which created a difficult situation with forcing her to make terms with him to get the restraining order dropped. The two shared a tense professional relationship until Nick's murder, a crime for which Boa Vista was briefly considered the prime suspect.
Past characters
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective Megan Donner (Kim Delaney, episodes 1-10), Horatio's predecessor who went on indefinite leave from her job following the death of her husband. She briefly returned to work alongside Horatio, who has since been promoted to head investigator of the CSI unit, but later resigned, finding the pressures of the job to now be more than she could handle. The character was reportedly written out due to the lack of chemistry between Delaney and Caruso.
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective Tim "Speed" Speedle (Rory Cochrane, seasons 1-2), trace evidence and impressions expert; originally from Syracuse, New York, with a degree in biology from Columbia University, Speed was killed in the line of duty in the third season premiere, Lost Son; he had not maintained his firearm diligently, and was shot by a suspect when it misfired during a police shoot-out. The character was written out at the request of Cochrane, who wanted to pursue a career in film and reportedly disliked the long, arduous shooting schedule for CSI: Miami.
Recurring characters
MDPD Detective Yelina Salas (Sofia Milos, seasons 1,2,3,5), a Colombian homicide detective frequently attached to CSI investigations, and the widow of Horatio's brother Raymond. She later starts a relationship with IAB Sergeant Rick Stetler, Horatio's personal nemesis. After her husband Raymond was revealed to still be alive, she left with him and their son for Brazil, where they planned to keep a low profile for Raymond's safety. She reappears in Season 5, starting with "Rio" (the season opener). Caine and Delko are in Rio to hunt down Antonio Riaz, who murdered Caine's wife (and Delko's sister) Marisol at the end of Season 4. Riaz is killed in a fight with Horatio, but not before killing Raymond Caine and enlisting Ray Jr into drug running in the shantytowns of the area. Yelina and Ray Jr wind up back in Miami, and it appears likely they will figure in future episodes.
Laboratory Technician Maxine Valera (Boti Ann Bliss, seasons 2-), DNA analyst. Temporarily suspended from her duties in Season 3 for technical errors, then reinstated by Season 4. Has an unfortunate habit of taking short-cuts with evidence, which caused her suspension and also brought her under suspicion when the lab was investigated by the FBI (episode 425, "One of Our Own"). She goes on a date with Natalia Boa Vista's ex-husband Nick Townsend and thinks she is his killer after he turns up murdered, though this assumption is proved to be untrue (episode 512, "Internal Affairs")
Laboratory Technician Joseph Kayle (Leslie Odom Jr., season 2-), a lab tech.
Laboratory Technician Dan Cooper (Brendan Fehr, season 4), Audio/Visual lab tech. May or may not relate to the case of D.B. Cooper. He believes a great deal of information can be discerned by what music a person has on his or her MP3 playlist (episode 517, "A Grizzly Murder")
Secret Service Special Agent Peter Elliott (Michael B. Silver, seasons 2-), Working in the Financial Crime Division, Agent Elliott had an obvious infatuation with Calleigh that interested her, but she stopped short when she found out, after taking him to the hospital for a gunshot wound, that he was engaged to the state district attorney. At the end of the season, it was revealed that his fiancée State District Attorney Monica West is the one that impugned the CSI lab and stole drug money seized in a raid; she causes the FBI to investigate, hoping that discrediting the lab would help her out politically. Elliot, wearing a wire, gets her to confess, and she is arrested (episode 425, "One of Our Own").
Internal Affairs Bureau Agent Sergeant Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith, season 2-), IAB Sergeant and Horatio's personal nemesis. He later starts a relationship with Yelina, but she leaves with her husband on season 3 finale. His harsh feelings toward Caine stem from a bitter feeling when Horatio was promoted to lieutenant instead of him, believing Caine may have pulled in some "special favors" for the job. Horatio also suspects that during Stetler's relationship with Yelina, Stetler may have been abusive, which is evident when she comes to work one day with a black eye. (Season 3, episode Crime Wave) Stetler later returns to warn Horatio against going after a corrupt city official, saying that he can't protect him if Caine follows through. "Just like old times," the CSI replies (episode 517, "A Grizzly Murder").
WFOR-TV Newscaster Erica Sykes (Amy Laughlin, Season 3-), an aggressive ambitious young news reporter for the Miami CBS station, WFOR-TV. Her antics are often described as crazy and are very much annoying to the CSI team. She may or may not have dated Ryan at some stage, but the two often flirt. It is Erica who revealed to Ryan that there is a mole in the lab in a special extended scene that was available on www.cbs.com after the episode Urban Hellraisers aired. She also helps Ryan in a case regarding abuse of eminent domain, with the government evicting people from their homes before turning the land over to a private developer (episode 505, "Death Eminent"). In a later episode, however, she puts the life of Natalia's sister at risk by mentioning on the air that she is a victim in a kidnapping (episode 508, "Darkroom").
FBI Agent Glen Cole (Mark Rolston), a FBI Agent, headed the investigation into the lab in season 4, returns in season 5 working on a case involving counterfeitting and the Korean Government (episodes 425, "One of Our Own;" 503, "Death Pool 100").
Susie Barnam Keaton (Azura Skye, Seasons 1,2,3), a meth addict who became involved in Horatio's personal life after revealing she had known his late brother Raymond. After Susie rehabs in Indiana and returns to Miami, Horatio learns that her daughter is Raymond's child (episode 208, "Big Brother"). In a later episode, her daughter Madison becomes terminally ill. Neither Horatio nor Susie are matches for a bone marrow transplant, but he convinces Yelina Salas to have her son Ray Jr. tested. Presumably, he is and Madison is cured.
Former recurring characters
MDPD Detective Adelle Sevilla (Wanda de Jesus, season 1), a Latina homicide detective who occasionally accompanies the CSIs. She appeared in 10 episodes.
MDPD Detective John Hagen (Holt McCallany, seasons 1-3), a homicide detective who had emotional and psychological problems. Raymond Caine's partner prior to his faked death, he told Calleigh once that he couldn't stand being reminded of being the partner of a dirty cop. He also had a brief relationship with Calleigh in Season 2. While pulling a crucial piece of evidence from a crime scene, he panicked when Calleigh came over to photograph the scene; he then crept up behind her and put his gun behind her head. Although he didn't mean to hurt her, it allowed him time to escape (she didn't know it was him at that time). He later shot himself in the Ballistics Lab in front of Calleigh during the Season 3 finale.
MDPD Officer Aaron Jessop (Joel West season 4) A patrol officer, Jessop joined the force at about the same time Ryan Wolfe was moving over to CSI. While he thought like a cop, he also was able to think like a CSI. This was evident in the episode The Oath where he was able to help Calleigh and assess the crime scene and upped the charge and penalty. Jessop was killed when he opened a cabinet rigged with a hand grenade booby-trap at the scene of a Mala Noche shootout. (West had previously appeared as Officer Ramirez in one episode during Season 2)
Laboratory Technician Sam Belmontes (Cristian de la Fuente, season 1-2), Chemical Analysis lab tech.
Laboratory Technician Jim Markham (Joshua Leonard, season 3), Ballistic lab tech. Markham became the head of the ballistics section when Calleigh left, but was quickly demoted after Calleigh discovered that Markham took short cuts.
State Attorney Rebecca Nevins (Christina Chang), A State Attorney who briefly had a relationship with Horatio, but he broke it off when she made a deal with a criminal suspected of killing a cop and series of robberies as well as having a relationship with a 16-year-old girl who took part in his crimes. Originally expected to be a more regular character but has not appeared on the show since that episode for reasons unknown.
State Attorney Monica West (Bellamy Young, season 4). The State Attorney who replaced Nevins. She was the one who planted Boa Vista to spy on the CSI Lab, hoping she will come up with evidence of corruption within the lab. However, when Natalia only brought back positive results on the lab, she got frustrated enough that she stole some money that the team seized in a raid on the Mala Noches when her fiancee, Agent Peter Elliot, was looking over the money, and tipped off the FBI causing the lab to be investigated. When Wolfe pointed out that the money wasn't taken from their lab, Calleigh figured it out and had Elliott confess. Calleigh made him get Monica to admit that she was the one who took the money. She was then arrested.
Marisol Delko Caine (née Delektorsky) (Alana de la Garza, season 4) Eric's older sister, who had Breast Cancer. Because of the painful treatments, Eric occasionally bought marijuana, to alleviate her pain and nausea. Afterwards, Eric helped to feed her when she had no appetite. Eric's friends found out when the drug dealer ruined a crime scene by droping though a skylight and then saves him self by mentioning that Eric buys drugs from him. Marisol and Horatio were married between the episodes that aired on May 8 and May 15, 2006. She was shot by a Mala Noche sniper during the May 15 episode and later died from her injury. It was later discovered that the hit was ordered by a Mala Noche boss named Antonio Riaz, who found out about Marisol's family connections through his relationship as her marijuana dealer. Not long after, Horatio and Delko follow Riaz to Brazil, and Horatio kills Riaz. Her last words were with Horatio--
Horatio: I had...I had dinner plans tonight.
Marisol: Casa Tua?
Horatio: Casa Tua.
Marisol: 8:30?
Horatio: 8:30.
Marisol: You got the good table?
Horatio: I got the good table.
Horatio: You're not planning...to.uh...You're not planning to stand me up, are you?
Marisol: Never.
At this point, Marisol is silent and holds Horatio's hand, closes her eyes, and the sound recorder behind her goes to a long electronic beep.
Nick Townsend (Rob Estes, season 5). Ex-husband to Natalia Boa Vista. Upon his release from prison, Nick re-entered Natalia's life as an employee of a crime-scene cleaning company who often worked crime scenes his ex-wife was assigned to process. Nick's treatment of Natalia following his parole consisted primarily of unwanted flirtation, which pushed Natalia into shoving him at a crime scene, an action Nick used as basis for a restraining order against her. Under the order, Natalia was forced to leave any crime scene Nick was sent to clean, which threatened her job. Nick subsequently agreed to drop the restraining order, provided Natalia treated him civilly from then on. Nick became a less-than-desirable presence on the job for both Natalia and Eric Delko, for whom Nick also took delight in causing discomfort due to Eric's prior romantic relationship with Natalia. Nick was murdered following a date with Maxine Valera, who'd shoved him to the floor in response to his unwanted advances and fled, thinking him dead. Though both Maxine and Natalia were suspected for the crime, Nick was in fact killed by a man whose wife had committed a murder Nick had worked that day. Nick had stolen an earring left at the scene by the man's wife and was bludgeoned to death when he refused to return it.
Bob Keaton (Max Martini, Seasons 2,3), Susie's abusive, drug-dealing husband. In "Big Brother," Horatio discovers that Bob's methamphetamine is the same batch as that used by Raymond Caine on the night of his death. Despite his denials, Bob is convicted of Caine's murder and jailed. When he is released (episode 320, "Killer Date") it is revealed that he is an undercover DEA agent and Caine's ex-partner. Bob confirms to Horatio that his brother is still alive. His involvement in the DEA investigation and his knowledge about the Caine case leads to his murder (episode 322, "Vengeance").
The CSI: Miami Region 2 DVD releases have followed a particular pattern whereby each season is progressively released in two parts (each of 11 or 12 episodes, with special features split up) before ultimately being sold as a single boxed set.
The A&E network airs rerun episodes on Sunday nights. The network purchased syndication rights for a hefty US $1 million per episode after the show had been on the air for just one season. In September 2006, the series is scheduled to air in syndication on weekends, and five nights a week at 8:00 p.m. ET on A&E and in October 2006, the show is on at 7:00 and 8:00.
