Since CSI: Vegas brought the CSI franchise back to its original location as well as reviving many of the show’s existing characters, it's reasonable to wonder why the CSI reboot changed the show’s title. The CSI franchise gave rise to numerous location-based spinoffs thanks to the original show’s huge success. As well as CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, there was the Ted Danson-starring CSI: Cyber which was set in Washington.
In 2021, the franchise returned with a new spinoff that also served as a revival of the original show, CSI: Vegas. However, since the original CSI series was set in Las Vegas, Nevada, this title change may have seemed strange to longtime fans. The original CSI was implied to be “CSI: Las Vegas” because of the show's setting, so the question of why the reboot felt the need to change its name and clarify the show's location is a reasonable one.
The reboot was a direct continuation of the original CSI series, so it seemed unnecessary at first for CSI: Vegas to add “Vegas” into the title. However, CSI: Vegas was also a spinoff with new characters, and the reboot understandably wanted the freedom to add new characters and cast members to the revival. This process would be a lot harder if the series were promoted as a straightforward continuation of the original CSI. While season 1 did focus on returning characters Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, CSI: Vegas season 2 will primarily center around the rest of the Vegas CSI team now that those two characters have moved on from the series.
CSI Vegas Is Both A Sequel And A Reboot
CSI: Vegas season 2 dropping Gil and Sara will be less of a shock because the series wasn’t only advertised as a direct sequel. CSI: Vegas was also technically a location-based CSI spinoff, so it wasn't a disappointment or a surprise when the series let its original characters go and replaced them with new stars in CSI: Vegas. While season 1 brought back the previous series' stars, CSI: Vegas season 2 will center on the new faces introduced in the revival's first season. This means that CSI: Vegas is closer to CSI: NY or CSI: Miami’s location-based spinoff formula than a direct continuation of the original show with the same cast and characters.
Viewers tuning in to a show simply titled CSI could be annoyed by the absence of Gil and Sara, whereas audiences treating CSI: Vegas season 2 as a new spinoff set in the show's larger universe will be more able to forgive the show and lean into its new characters. By changing the show’s name, the CSI franchise signaled that CSI: Vegas would be a new show of its own as well as a direct sequel to the earlier series. As such, CSI: Vegas was able to continue following the show’s new stars in season 2 instead of ending immediately after the departure of Sara and Gil. Changing the title of CSI: Vegas ensured that the presence of Gil and Sara was a welcome surprise rather than a basic necessity, making their absence from season 2 less of a problem for the latest location-based reboot of the long-running CSI franchise.