The series follows an elite team of FBI Special Agents tasked with investigating cyber crimes in North America.

Based out of Washington, D.C., the team is supervised by Deputy Director Avery Ryan, an esteemed Ph.D. Ryan is a behavioral psychologist turned "cyber shrink" who established the FBI Cyber Crime division and heads a "hack-for-good" program, a scheme in which the criminals she catches can work for her in lieu of receiving a prison sentence.

Together, Russell and Ryan head a team including Elijah Mundo, Daniel Krumitz (aka Krummy), Raven Ramirez, and Brody Nelson, who work to solve Internet-related murders, cyber theft, hacking, sexual offenses, blackmail, and any other crime deemed to be cyber-related within the FBI's jurisdiction.

Ryan was described as being "tasked with solving high octane crimes that start out in the cyber world and play out in real life".

[11] Peter MacNicol joined the cast on August 1, 2014, as Assistant Director Stavros Sifter, "a shrewd and savvy networker; a charmer with a hint of malice".

Rounding out the original cast was Hayley Kiyoko as Raven Ramirez, described as a character who "will possess a dark secret in her front story which Ryan won’t even know until it’s too late".

The site's critical consensus reads, "While stocked with impressive talent, CSI: Cyber fails to add anything truly new to the franchise, settling for a slightly modernized twist on the same typical crimefighting scenarios.

[28] Producers announced intentions to break the Guinness World Record for largest ever TV simulcast drama on March 4, 2015, with the episode "Kitty" airing in 150 countries in addition to digital streaming.

[31] The series has been sold to Channel 5 in the United Kingdom,[32] CTV in Canada, Rai 2 in Italy, Network Ten in Australia,[33] Prime in New Zealand, RTÉ2 in Ireland, TF1 in France,[34] AXN in Asia and Latin America,[35][36] RTL 5 in The Netherlands, Nova in Bulgaria, Skai TV in Greece, HOT Zone in Israel, TV3 in Estonia, Kanal 5 in Sweden and Denmark, and MTV3 in Finland.