Summary

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation reinvented the crime drama procedural with its inventive cases and portrayal of the gruesome reality of police work.
• The popular show aired from 2000 to 2015 and spawned spin-offs, with the main team stationed in Las Vegas, often exploring the glitz and grit of the city.
• Memorable episodes include "Anonymous", where a serial killer challenges Gil and the team, and "Grave Danger", where Nick Stokes is buried alive in a high-stakes case.

This article contains mentions of murder, suicide, and assault.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation reinvented the crime drama procedural through its spin on investigations, and the inventive nature of the cases the team had to solve. The television series was not afraid to show the gruesome and cruel reality of working in the police force and hunting down criminals who commit terrible murders. Though some of the cases became more improbable in the later seasons, often the most successful episodes with great longevity saw the characters being challenged by the difficulty of the case.

From 2000 to 2015, the show aired on CBS and featured many famous guest stars and iconic characters. Due to its massive popularity, many spin-offs arose from the original series' run about other forensics teams in different parts of the country. However, the main team was stationed in Las Vegas, which meant the plots often explored the glitz and grit of the city in equal measure. When a case was excellent and left both the audience and characters shocked at the outcome, it would often include many red herrings and an intricate web of players involved in the crime.

10 Anonymous

Season 1, Episode 8

Gil Grissom (William Petersen) was the heart and soul of the Vegas crime lab during his tenure on the show. As head of the lab, he had a lot of responsibility, but sometimes that led to him being targeted personally by criminals. In "Anonymous", a serial killer uses pieces of evidence at the crime scenes to keep Gil on edge, but that isn't the strangest part. The killer makes each death look like a suicide, meaning it takes a moment before the deaths are correctly identified as murders. It's clear that the killer isn't just cruel, he's intelligent, which gives Gil and the team a lot of work to do.

9 Slaves Of Las Vegas

Season 2, Episode 8

The Las Vegas depicted on television often incorporates plenty of seedy activity and compromising situations that victims find themselves in. "Slaves of Las Vegas" is particularly compelling and memorable because it's the first time the audience meets the recurring character Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke). She is a dominatrix who might have a connection to the victim in the episode, so the analysts work with her to determine who the murderer is. Her connection and attraction to Gil is immediately obvious, and clearly returned by the leader investigator.

However, this emotional component only elevates the investigation that takes place. Gil and the other investigators must put aside their biases and truly look into who could have murdered the young female victim. They assume that the reason she was killed was because she worked for Lady Heather, but the reason for the crime wasn't sexual preference, but interpersonal jealousy.

8 Butterflied

Season 4, Episode 12

Gil and the team can't help but draw eerie comparisons in this episode where the victim looks exactly like investigator Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). The victim is a nurse, and the examination of her body quickly leads the CSIs to believe that the only person who could have caused the wounds on her is a doctor. Unfortunately, the woman's appearance is a constant distraction in this case, and this makes the team go down the rabbit hole of searching for the wrong man, a man who turns out to be another victim. In the end, when the killer is finally revealed, he has a chilling exchange with Gil.

7 What’s Eating Gilbert Grissom?

Season 5, Episode 6

When the entire team must come together to solve a case, it's going to be a messy and intricate one. In "What's Eating Gibert Grissom", a series of copycat killers replicate the crimes of a notorious serial killer, the Blue Paint Killer, who was thought to have already been caught and put away. Though the elements of the crimes are connected, the MO keeps changing, and the fact that the victims are college students increases the pressure to bring the case to a close.

As the number of deaths grows, the team wonders how the killer could have gotten their hands on so many specific souvenirs that belonged to the Blue Paint Killer. They question if it's a copycat or a long-forgotten partner of the original killer. Though the team does manage to track down the perpetrator, the end of the episode is anything but satisfying, reminding the audience that not even the CSIs can save the day every time.

6 Grave Danger Parts 1 & 2

Season 5, Episodes 24 & 25

This iconic two-part event is the forgotten CSI episode of Quentin Tarantino. As the show grew in profile and popularity, it attracted the attention of some of Hollywood's biggest names, including the well-known filmmaker. Of course, his episodes turned up the volume on the horror, the violence, and the stakes, making for an amazing case. In a terrifying turn of events, Nick Stokes (George Eads) is captured and buried alive. The team must band together to find him in a fixed amount of time before he runs out of oxygen. Each character gives their all to the gripping performances that elevate the critical investigation where there can be no mistakes.

5 The Unusual Suspect

Season 6, Episode 18

CSI was never afraid to subvert expectations when it came to who the killer was and call into question the biases that lead people to blame one person rather than another. In "The Unusual Suspect", it seems that the killer's identity is quickly revealed, but trying to piece together the evidence and make it stick is nearly impossible. It turns out that the person who's making the CSIs look incompetent is a 12-year-old girl, Hannah (Juliette Goglia), whose brother is accused of the murder that she confesses to. The conspiracy and confusion mount as the case continues and the CSIs are left wondering if they really know who committed the murder.

4 Built To Kill Parts 1 & 2

Season 7, Episodes 1 & 2

The premiere of season 7 had a female serial killer and the beginning of one of the most compelling season-long serialized arcs of the show. Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) are stumped when it comes to the MO of the killer, as there seems to be no connection between the victims or why they were killed. This is a frustrating turn of events for investigators who are used to serial killers behaving with a discernible pattern to follow. Not only that but the victim was found in a Cirque du Soleil tent, meaning the characters and elements of the murder are larger than life and difficult to follow.

3 The Theory Of Everything

Season 8, Episode 15

Most people are now familiar with Stephen Hawking's theories about time, black holes, and the nature of the universe, and the CSI episode "The Theory of Everything" delves into these concepts and the connectivity of life on Earth. After a criminal is accidentally killed after questioning, an investigation is launched into the cause, and a collection of intertwined murders comes to light that intrigues Gil and the team. The science used by the CSIs shines in this episode as there are many physiological anomalies within the victims. Though it seemed random, all the victims led back to the man killed at the beginning of the episode.

2 For Warrick

Season 9, Episode 1

Audience wondered why Warrick Brown exited CSI in season 9, and his death in the episode "For Warrick" involves one of the saddest and most twisted cases on the show. His loss is devastating, especially when it turns out they're going to have to come together to figure out who killed their fallen colleague and friend. They are led away from the true killer with false clues and eyewitness s, drawing out the pain and suffering from the case. It's horrifying when they realize it was a police officer who committed the murder, but it's even more difficult to find all the evidence to put him away.

1 Meat Jekyll

Season 10, Episode 23

When Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne) ed the CSI team it took some time, but the other CSIs soon accepted him as one of their own and looked to him as a leader. In the season 10 finale, "Meat Jekyll", he faces a moral dilemma when he must use a serial killer he has already caught to help him find one still at large. This is a gamble, as there's no way to fully trust Nate Haskell (Bill Irwin), the man behind bars.

The episode drew comparisons to Silence of the Lambs and Fishburne's later work on Hannibal, but the stakes of the case increase when it's discovered that the team only has 48 hours to figure out the killer's identity. Working against the clock and unable to fully trust what their informant says, Langston and the team work furiously to find the culprit. Despite all their hard work and success on the case, the last moments of the episode left off on an unbelievable cliffhanger.