CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

RSI: Rhyme Scene Investigation.

Elmo and Cookie in their version of the show.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a television series which debuted in 2000. The series has sparked three spin-offs, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and CSI: Cyber. Three of these series center on a team of forensic scientists who investigate mysterious crimes, while CSI: Cyber focuses on a special unit of investigators dedicated to solving crimes with a digital aspect, such as cyberstalking and online fraud.

Cain from CSI: Miami was voted at number 91, and Gil Grissom & Catherine Willows from CSI:Crime Scene Investigation were placed at number 82 in Bravo's ranking of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.

References

• A Ready to Learn insert featured Ernie as a CSI-style investigator, alongside a girl and Ord (Dragon Tales). Though the format of the sketch explicitly parodied CSI, the background music was the theme to the 1960s series Peter Gunn.

• Muppets TV featured Les Experts Muppets (The Muppet Experts), a spoof of the series (known in France as Le Experts), and used the CSI theme song. The team consisted of Kermit the Frog (as "Kermit Grisomme," referencing series lead Carl Grissom), Fozzie Bear as Fozzie Staucks, Animal as Animal Warrique, and Denise as Denise Sideul.

• Sesame Street spoofed the franchise in Episode 4135 as "RSI: Rhyme Scene Investigation." The segment features June Moon and Joe Doe (a caricature of CSI: Miami star David Caruso) as two members of the RSI team who try and help a Fat Blue Anything Muppet (performed by Martin P. Robinson) find the thing he lost that ends in "at."

• Sesame Tree episode 8 was titled "CSI Sesame Tree".

• In Sesame Street Episode 4174, a group of monsters playing freeze tag in the yard rush off to catch their favorite TV show CSI: Monster Investigation.

• Waldorf said he acted on CSI when appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

• "Sesame Place CSI: Club of Science Investigators" was a 2011 education program event at Sesame Place.

• In an Entertainment Weekly online exclusive video from September 23, 2011, Elmo and Cookie Monster reenacted a scene from CSI: Miami. Cookie Monster isn't feeling well and Elmo determines from the clues that he is suffering from a sweet tooth. Eventually Elmo keeps putting on more and more pairs of sunglasses with sound cues from the show, which confuses the actors as to the source of the music, which Cookie Monster wonders if it is coming from Elmo's phone.

Muppet Mentions

• In the CSI season one episode "Face Lift", Sara Siddle arrives with a cotton nightgown as she was told to do by Warrick Brown. She tells him that she doesn't normally wear it and Warrick tells her that it's for his new girl friend Miss Piggy and reveals a dead pig.

• In the CSI: NY episode "Tales from the Undercard", Det. Flack and Danny are in a suspect's home. When the suspect says "we were watching the babies", Flack says "Muppet Babies?"

Connections

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

• Stephen Baldwin appeared as Jesse Acheson in "Compulsion" (2005)
• Ned Beatty played Dr. David Lowry in "Sweet Jane" (2007)
• Alexis Cruz played PFC Phillip Riley in "No Humans Involved" (2004)
• Ted Danson played D.B. Russell
• Laurence Fishburne played Doctor Raymond "Ray" Langston
• Dakota Fanning played Brenda Collins in "Blood Drops" (2000)
• Michael Gilden played Lawrence Ames in "A Little Murder" (2002)
• Tippi Hedren played Karen Rosenthal in "Young Man with a Horn" (2008)
• Joanna Krupa played a waitress in "Kiss Kiss, Bye Bye" (2006)
• Sierra McCormick played Gracie Layman in "Irradiator" (2010)
• Shanna Moakler played J-Lady in "Poppin' Tags" (2006)
• Jenny O'Hara played Sandra Walkey in "Secrets & Flies" (2005)
• Jeff Ross played Dougie Max in "Last Laugh" (2003)
• Reni Santoni played Frank Mejia in "4x4" (2005)
• Raphael Sbarge played Aaron Laner in " Ch-Ch-Changes" (2004)
• Allison Smith played Nancy Linden in "Got Murder?" (2003)
• Jordin Sparks played Alison Stone in "Check In & Check Out" (2013)
• Nicole Sullivan played Nancy Twicker in "Bull" (2008)
• Quentin Tarantino directed the 2004–2005 season finale "Grave Danger"
• Wil Wheaton played Walter in "Compulsion" (2005)

CSI: Miami

• María Conchita Alonso played Marisela Gonzalez in "Blood Moon" (2004)
• Julie Dretzin played Christina Maria Colucci in "Golden Parachute" (2002)
• Panchito Gómez played Manny Ocola in "Extreme" (2003)
• Chaim Jeraffi played Avi Golan in "Wannabe" (2004)
• Virginia Madsen played Krista Walker in "Death Grip" (2003)
• Debi Mazar played Rebecca Briggs in "Speed Kills" (2004)
• Joel McHale played Greg Welsh in "Urban Hellraisers" (2005)
• Adam Rodriguez played Eric Delko
• Raphael Sbarge played Larry Fremont in "Backstabbers" (2006)
• Jessica Stone played Krystal Sneed in "Vengeance" (2005)
• Holly Valance played Kay Coleman in "Addiction" (2004)
• Lisa Waltz played Brenda Hall in "Nailed" (2005)

CSI: NY

• Edward Asner played Abraham Klein in "Yahrzeit" (2009)
• Nelly Furtado played Ava Brandt in "Some Buried Bones" (2007)
• Melina Kanakaredes plays Detective Stella Bonasera
• Troy Kotsur played Dennis Mitchum in "Silent Night" (2006)
• Joey Lawrence played Clay Dobson in three episodes (2007)
• Marlee Matlin played Gina Mitchum in "Silent Night" (2006)
• Raphael Sbarge played District Attorney Latham in two episodes (2005)
• Holly Valance played Lydia in "YoungBlood" (2005)

CSI: Cyber

• Patricia Arquette played lead character Dr. Avery Ryan (2015-2016)