Which CSI spin-off began the franchise expansion in 2002?

CSI: Miami was the first spin-off to expand the CSI franchise in 2002. Set in Miami, Florida, the series transferred the original show’s forensic-investigation format to a new city and a new team.

The series grew out of the original CSI through the backdoor-pilot episode “Cross Jurisdictions,” which aired during CSI’s second season on May 9, 2002. David Caruso played Lieutenant Horatio Caine, while Emily Procter played Calleigh Duquesne. CBS formally launched CSI: Miami later that year, and the series premiered on September 23, 2002.

CSI: Miami is sometimes confused with CSI: NY because New York became another major setting in the franchise. However, CSI: NY arrived later, in 2004, and was itself spun off from Miami through the backdoor pilot “MIA/NYC NonStop.” CSI: Cyber followed in 2015, while CSI: Vegas was a revival of the original series that premiered in 2021.

Miami ran for 10 seasons and established the franchise’s expansion model: retain the forensic premise while giving each city its own characters, visual style, and local cases.