CBS scored a huge hit with the long-running police proceduralCSI,which first premiered in 2000 and followed a team of crime-scene investigators working the night shift as they used forensic science to catch criminals in Las Vegas. It ran for 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, and at its most popular, drew in over 70 million viewers.CSIended in 2015 and was followed up with three spin-offs set in different cities, and it even spawned its own video game. RebootCSI: Vegaspremieredin 2021, picking up six years after the original series ended.
The series featured numerous characters over the years, from members of the CSI team itself to the criminals they caught. Each brought not just their own skills to the team but their unique personalities, as well, whether kind and compassionate, quirky, or everything in between, and all were great to watch as they worked together to solve crimes and find the perpetrators.
10Warrick Brown
Warrick Brown was a Level 3 investigator who specialized in audio-video analysis. He also struggled with an addiction to gambling. In the Season 8 finale, he was shot after being framed for murder and discovering a corrupt cop was the real killer. Warrick was played byGary Dourdan.
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Warrick’s history made him a compelling character, but despite his difficult past and the mistakes he made, he was a good guy at heart. He was also creative, spending his free time DJing in clubs and writing his own songs.
9Sara Sidle
Sara was a forensic scientist and worked as Assistant Supervisor until she left to be with Grissom, with whom she had an on-again, off-again romance throughout the series and ultimately married. She left the show in Season 8, then returned in Season 11. She was played byJorja Foxandreturned for the first season ofCSI: Vegas.
When dealing with victims, especially victims of domestic violence, Sara was empathetic and compassionate, with very little patience for their abusers. Sara was also very driven, but some of the qualities that made her a good scientist and investigator were also ones that made some fans dislike her—some found her to be obnoxious.
8Morgan Brody
In Season 11, Morgan Brody disobeyed her supervisor in Los Angeles and helped the team find escaped serial killer Nate Haskell, but the fallout from the investigation led to her being fired and moving to Las Vegas. She stayed with the series until it ended and was played byElisabeth Harnois.
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Like her colleagues, Morgan was intelligent, resourceful, and tough, whether she was using her skills to escape dangerous situations or when she was undercover. She’s also well-liked, due to her willingness to help the team even when it comes at a personal cost.
7Wendy Simms
Wendy Simms was a lab tech who specialized in DNA analysis and joined the team in Season 6. She was a recurring character until Season 10 when she became a regular. She resigned in Season 11 to take a job in Portland to be able to work out in the field and be closer to her sister. Wendy was played byLiz Vassey.
Wendy was compassionate, as well as focused on her job, and determined to do it well, despite a reputation for being clumsy. She also has a sassy side to her and can be quick-witted, especially when it comes to making jabs at Hodges’ expense.
6Catherine Willows
Catherine was a single mom and former exotic dancer turned blood-spatter expert who first appeared in the pilot,then returned in Season 2 ofCSI: Vegas. She was promoted to night-shift supervisor after Grissom left but ultimately left after 12 seasons. She went into a retirement of sorts, shifting gears to serve on the board of the Eclipse casino, which she inherited from her father while mentoring young women working in forensics. She was played byMarg Helgenberger.
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Catherine had an interesting background, but most importantly, she was good at her job. She was ambitious and had solid instincts which often proved to be correct. Catherine also faced a lot of trauma in her time on the show.
5Dr. Al Robbins
Dr. Albert Robbins, who the team called “Doc,” was the coroner for the Las Vegas Police Department. The character used a wheelchair after losing both of his legs. He was played byRobert David Halland appeared in almost all the series’ 300-plus episodes, first in a recurring role in Seasons 1 and 2 and then as a regular for the duration of the show.
With his background in medicine, Robbins was well-educated, so he was understandably very intelligent—just as intelligent as Grissom. Also like Grissom, he was generally unbothered by the things he saw in the morgue, and he had a sense of humor about his work.
4Diebenkorn “D.B.” Russell
Diebenkorn Russell, known as D.B., was the previous night-shift supervisor brought back to straighten the team out in Season 12. He eventually left to take a position with the FBI as Director of Next Generation Cyber Forensics and starred in the short-lived spinoff,CSI: Cyber. He was played byTed Danson.
Russell was beloved by fans and was known for his sense of humor and calm, laid-back demeanor—which only cracked in dire circumstances, most notably those involving his family. He was just as intelligent as some of the best minds onCSI.
3Greg Sanders
Greg began his career onCSIas a lab tech and eventually became a Level 3 CSI, appearing in over 300 episodes, the most out of all characters on the show. He returned briefly toCSI: Vegas. He was played byEric Kyle Szmanda.
Greg was a fan-favorite character who had a bit of an eccentric but upbeat personality—when he worked in the lab, he enjoyed listening to loud rock music. After he began working in the field, he sometimes struggled with just how dark the line of work could be.
2Nick Stokes
Nick was an expert in hair and fiber analysis who first appeared in the pilot and eventually worked his way up to become Assistant Night Shift Supervisor. He appeared in nearly every episode of the series and was played byGeorge Eads.
Because Nick was part of the show for so long, he had one of the most impressive career arcs, moving up the ranks from being an investigator to taking a supervisory role like Grissom. Although the team was discouraged from being too emotional, Nick often empathized with victims.
1Gil Grissom
Gil Grissom worked as the night-shift supervisor in the Las Vegas crime lab and appeared in the show’s first nine seasons. He was married to Sara Sidle, and the two were last seen enjoying life together at the end of the series. Grissom was played byWilliam Petersen, who returned to play the characterin Season 1 ofCSI: Vegas.
Grissom is a good boss and a hard worker, determined to get answers and solve cases. He’s also very intelligent, as demonstrated by his ability to notice things and connect the dots when dealing with evidence. He also has some interesting quirks.
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