The one-hour dramatic series is the brainchild of Anthony E. Zuiker, a Las Vegas native. The show revolves around the professional (and occasionally, private) lives of the night shift of crime scene investigators in Las Vegas. Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is the leader of this team. Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, are his team; and Captain Jim Brass assists from the Homicide Department. This team of forensic experts piece together clues, using science and brainpower, to assist the police in solving crimes. More often than not, they help catch the criminal. ~ In 2002, CBS gave the go-head to spinoff the series with "CSI: Miami", which will tell the stories of a Miami team (even though most of it will be filmed in California).

Spoilers is a word coined by fans on the internet. When you say "spoiler" on a mailing list or web site, it means the crucial information or even the entire plot is given away. You'll know the identity of the skeleton found, how they were murdered, who did, and what Grissom ate for lunch! The studio bigwigs don't particularly care for leakage of this type...

In regards to this question, I'm speaking from personnel experience with other shows. If the show is being shot on location in Las Vegas, on the public streets, it's quite possible to catch a glimpse of the cast and crew. However, location shoots are often cordoned off to keep the public away. This is done for a variety of reasons: studios have locations for only finite periods of time, and time is money in the film industry. Liability is also another issue, as well as protection of cast and crew from mishaps that could occur if unauthorized personnel strayed into shooting areas. It is also done for the protection of he cast, as they must be cautious of the occasional obsessive fans.
      Watching a TV show being made in the actual studios is normally not possible. The press has access to studios for publicity purposes, but you cannot walk in off the street and ask to watch. Many studios, particularly those in the USA, enforce strict security to keep out non-authorized personnel for the above-mentioned reasons.

During the first season, this series reportedly cost $1.5 million per episode to make. However, this is not the most expensive show on network television. Before CBS cancelled it, Nash Bridges costs exceeded $2 million an episode. CSI's producers will recoup their initial investment as the series was sold into syndication to TNN for a record $1.5 million per episode. TNN will begin airing CSI once a week starting in late 2002, with a restriction of not airing the series during primetime.

Exactly how many days it takes to make an episode is unknown, but averages are 8 days of actual shooting per episode. Post production work takes a lot longer. An average day on the set is 15 hours, but can easily stretch longer with retakes. The first season of CSI began production in California on August 2, 2000. The second season began production in California on July 16, 2001 and will premiere in September 2001. Cast and crew get several months off between seasons. So, production of each new season usually begins in July.

CSI is shot on Super 35mm film, but is telecined to HD (high definition) for post production work. This allows the creators to give the show a more cinematic appearance. They're able to color correct from the tape without having to use the negative. Visual enhancements are done that turn a scene grainy when going to a flashback, or infuse vibrant colors when panning Vegas' brilliant neon lights. Viewers may also recognize the fascinating in-wound shots from the movie The Three Kings, where the effect was first introduced.

Yes. Disney's Touchstone Television signed an agreement with CBS to co-produce CSI, then backed out a later date. The reason they cited was financial: CBS pays about $1.2 million per episode, leaving producers with a debt that could reach seven figures. Since it's a co-production with CBS, Touchstone felt it wouldn't recoup its investment because CBS had a flat license fee. After Disney left, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox were all approached, but declined. Alliance Atlantis found the situation interesting and felt the risk of co-producing the show would have a good payoff. Alliance, already experienced in international distribution, was able to push up the price tag and sell the series abroad. CSI is expected to average close to $600,000 an episode in international sales.

Yes, they'll do talk show appearances to promote the series. Here is a partial list of appearances:

May -- 2002 - Several members of hte cast appeared on Larry King Weekend.

May 14 2002 - Gart Dourdan, Jorja Fox, and Eric Szmanda appeared on ABC's The View.

May 14 2002 - William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox and Paul Guilfoyle appeared on CBS's Early Show.

Feb 27 2002 - CSI profiled on Entertainment Tonight.

Dec 20 2001 - Robert David Hall appears on Entertainment Tonight.

Oct 04 2001 - Promo segment on Inside Edition.

Oct 04 2001 - Promo segment on Entertainment Tonight.

Oct 04 2001 - Promo segment on Access Hollywood.

July 05 2001 - William Petersen - ABC - The View. (repeat)

July 2001 - George Eads, Gary Dourdan, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda - Promoted CSI in Latin America for Sony Entertainment Television.

May 22 2001 - George Eads - ABC - Rosie O'Donnell.

May 17 2001 - Marg Helgenberger - CBS - CBS Early Show.

May 16 2001 - Marg Helgenberger - ABC - Regis & Kelly.

Apr 26 2001 - Behind the scenes look at CSI - CBS - CBS Early Show.

Feb 01 2001 - William Petersen - ABC - The View.

Jan 31 2001 - William Petersen - CBS - CBS Early Show.

Jan 30 2001 - William Petersen - CBS - The Late Show with David Letterman .

CSI began production on its fourth season in July 2003 and will air its 4th season on September 25, 2003. CSI Miami began production in July 2003 as well, and will air its second season on September 22, 2003.

CSI is set in around Las Vegas, Nevada. Storylines can take place in any of the city's major casinos, private homes or even the desert. When required, the production crew films in Las Vegas, as it would be impossible to duplicate the massive casinos and neon glitter in any California location. Exact locations, when known, are posted on each episode's Notes/Nitpicks section.
      When Vegas isn't required, the series stays at the Santa Clarita Studios in Valencia, California. This studio has eight large sound stages, which CBS utilizes for other shows. Theatrical movies are filmed there as well. Some of the sets that the viewer sees are Grissom's office, the Break Room (where the gang talks and eats), the Layout Room (where they examine items), the Drying Room (where clothes of the victims are kept), and the Interrogation Room (where they question suspects).

CSI: Miami is a spin-off that is very similar to its parent, CSI. It's about forensics specialists, although in this series, they are in Miami, Florida. The show appears to be a little more graphic in nature, possibly due to its 10:00 p.m. time slot, and the characters have been given a little more 'personal baggage.'

CSI: Miami is set in the sizzling locate of Miami, Florida, although it is predominantly filmed in California. Unlike CSI, its stories take place during the daytime hours, not the evening.

• William Peterson as Gil Grissom.
• Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows.
• Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown.
• George Eads as Nick Stokes.
• Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle.
• Paul Guilfoyle as Captain Jim Brass.

• Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders.
• Robert David Hall as Dr. David Robbins.

• Glenn Morshower

• David Caruso as Horatio Caine
• Emily Procter as Calleigh Duquesne
• Adam Rodriguez as Eric Delko
• Khandi Alexander as Chief Medical Examiner Alexx Woods
• Rory Cochrane as Tim 'Speed' Speedle
• Kim Delaney as Megan Donner (In season 1 for half the year)
  
• Wanda De Jesus as Detective Adell Sevilla (Recurring character in season 1)
  

• Sofia Milos joins the cast as Detective Yelina Salas in season 2
  

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is produced by Alliance Atlantis Communications and CBS Productions, in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Films. The series is distributed worldwide by Alliance Atlantis, excluding the USA, where CBS will distribute.

Most television shows adhere to an official script submission policy.
       For their own legal protection, the production company cannot accept unsolicited story ideas or materials. Unsolicited ideas will be discarded. Nor can they read fan fiction or go into fan fiction web sites.
       If the series should open up for unsolicited scripts, you would probably need to go through an agent, or at the least, sign a release form.

AOL has a message board for AOLers who want to discuss the show. Just check out the Message Boards under Television.

There is a newsgroup for CSI, although you may need to access it via Google Groups or another venue as not everyone offers it - alt.tv.csi.