CSI: Miami [TV Series] (2002)

A spin-off of the immensely popular cop drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, this CBS series provided steady work for two former regulars from ABC NYPD Blue: David Caruso and Kim Delaney. Assigned to head the CSI unit in Miami ( whose jurisdiction included the beach, the Everglades, and much of "Alligator Alley"), ex-homicide detective Horatio Caine (Caruso) preferred to work instinctively, while the unit's brilliant DNA specialist Megan Donner (Delaney) was strictly "by the book." Others in the cast included Emily Procter as Southern-accented ballistics expert Calli Duquesne, Adam Rodriguez as underwater-recovery specialist Eric Delko, Rory Cochrane as streetwise investigator Tim Speedle, and Khandi Alexander as sharp-witting coroner Alexx Woods. Unlike their CSI: Crime Scene Investigation counterparts, who exclusively dealt in detection, the Miami operatives could make arrests. Reportedly, the casting of Kim Delaney obliged the producers to cut down the screen time of the series' other two female regulars, but that was typical in the big bad world of personality-driven television. CSI: Miami was pushed onto the CBS prime-time schedule amidst an enormous publicity blitz on September 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi