‘CSI’ Canceled: Has CBS Revealed Plans Regarding A Season 16 Renewal Or Series Cancellation?

Fans of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have been anxiously waiting for news from CBS about a renewal for Season 16 or a series cancellation. Though the network announced many show decisions on Monday, the word regarding a CSI cancellation or renewal is coming out a bit differently.

According to Entertainment Weekly, CBS has renewed Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, NCIS, Person of Interest, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, and quite a few others as the new week begins. However, the network did not release any specifics regarding the future of CSI.

There has been speculation for some time now that the network wouldn’t be bringing the show back for a full season order, but that there might be a televised movie coming to wrap up loose ends. According to Zap2It, the network is working on a finale plan, so CSI isn’t canceled entirely yet. However, specifics are not being released yet.

As Season 15 ended, Nick Stokes left the team to head a lab in San Diego and the Gig Harbor killer case was put to rest. While many loose ends were tied up, Elisabeth Shue’s character of Julie Finlay was left in a coma.

Though things could be left on that Season 15 finale note, it sounds as if CBS still wants to give the show and the fans some true closure. At this point, sources seem to point toward either a shortened final season or a two-hour movie as many have been speculating for a while now.

Deadline confirms the buzz that CBS is bringing CSI back for some sort of wrap-up “finale plan.” More information is expected to come on this front during the CBS upfront presentation taking place on May 13. For those who still want a piece of CSI in their lives if the original is indeed wrapped up for good this coming season with a movie, there is good news. Spin-off show CSI: Cyber did receive a Season 2 renewal order.

Fans have had to process abrupt finishes with other CSI variations in the past, with cancellations coming after the season finales for both the New York and Miami show versions. However, it does sound as if CBS is committed to doing things a bit differently with the flagship version of the franchise.

How should CSI: Crime Scene Investigations end? Will a two-hour movie do the series justice in the eyes of long-time fans, if that indeed is the direction CBS goes in ending the series?

[Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images]