Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine,[3] Emily Procter as Detective Calleigh Duquesne,[4] and Adam Rodriguez as Detective Eric Delko, the series is the first direct spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,[5] "transplanting the same template and trickery—gory crimes, procedural plot and dazzling graphics—into [a new city] while retaining the essence of the original idea".

CSI: Miami follows a group of detectives assigned to the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD for short)'s Crime Scene Investigations (CSI for short) Unit, an elite unit operating out of the (fictional) "Miami Dade police headquarters, with its eerie blue light and flickering screens".

[11] The team is led by Lieutenant Horatio Caine (David Caruso), who, through his history as a bomb-disposal expert, has gained specialized knowledge in explosive forensics.

[13][14] Together, Caine and Duquesne head a team of forensic investigators that includes Lieutenant Megan Donner (Kim Delaney), conceived as "a strong woman [who could] duplicate the chemistry that Caruso displayed with Marg Helgenberger" during "Cross Jurisdictions",[15] Detective Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), an underwater recovery expert,[16] Walter Simmons (Omar Miller), a detective who forces the "CSIs to do more science and research instead of relying on databases",[17] Los Angeles Police transfer Jesse Cardoza (Eddie Cibrian),[17] former FBI agent Natalia Boa Vista (Eva LaRue), and Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo), a master of genetics[18] recruited following the death of Detective Timothy Speedle (Rory Cochrane).

[19] The team are assisted by Medical Examiner Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander), who began her career as a medical Examiner in New York,[20] and her replacement Tara Price (Megalyn Echikunwoke),[21] Miami Dade Police Sergeant Frank Tripp (Rex Linn),[22] and Horatio's sister-in-law, Detective Yelina Salas (Sofia Milos).

[23] During their investigations, the team cooperate with both allies and nemeses, including Internal Affairs Lieutenant Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith),[24] States Attorney Rebecca Nevins (Christina Chang),[25] Medical Examiner Tom Loman (Christian Clemenson),[26] and newly minted detective Sam Owens (Taylor Cole).

"[28] The series was launched as a second-season episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and originally featured a cast led by Caruso, Procter, Rodriguez, Alexander, with Cochrane.

Petersen jestingly referred to the series NYPDCSI, as it initially featured both Caruso and Delaney, of NYPD Blue fame.

Regarding her decision to leave The West Wing and join Miami, Procter stated that "It was like choosing between a boyfriend that wants to be with you casually or a man that says I love you."

CBS president Les Moonves had announced in January that a Miami spin-off was imminent, yet "It wasn't until we sort of, like, at the eleventh hour, really started to look at our options as to who was going to play Horatio, [Zuiker, Mendelsohn, and Donahue] revisited Caruso.

Following the back-door pilot, Zuiker stated that he believed the series "needed a little more balance in terms of a leading woman".

[23] Also in the third season, Jonathan Togo was cast as Ryan Wolfe, a character created to replace an unnamed "member of the CSI team" expected to "die in the line of duty".

Footage from the Biscayne Courthouse, visible prominently in the episode "Recoil", among others, was filmed at the Water Garden Park in Santa Monica, at 34.028728, −118.471331.

[43] Other locations around Long Beach are used, such as the Naples district, whose canals and upscale homes featuring large boat docks and palm trees impart a Miami-like atmosphere.

[44] The building used for exterior shots of the Miami-Dade Police Department crime lab is actually the SkyOne Federal Credit Union headquarters located at 14600 Aviation Boulevard in Hawthorne, California.

[45] Many outdoor location shots were also filmed in Miami-Dade County, Florida, including Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach.

[57] CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler issued a statement noting that "when the slightly different budgets and ratings concerns for the CSI spin-offs were factored in, there was no distinction — at least in terms of numbers.

[58] "In the end, NY won that particular duel simply because it features New York City, which helped CBS create a Friday night NYC-fest".

"[94] Anthony Zuiker described the event as "virtually a movie",[94] while CSI: Miami's show-runner Ann Donahue stated that, despite a crossover being planned earlier, she had "held off on this because [she] wanted to wait until 'New York' had distinguished itself" from its predecessors.

Both A&E and Spike TV share the return rights to the crossover episodes (with CSI: NY), Felony Flight and Manhattan Manhunt.

[98] In Australia Nine Network aired new episodes of CSI: Miami, and repeats were shown on satellite channel TVH!TS (formerly TV1).

[99] Tim Goodman noted that "There probably isn't a bigger slam-dunk victor on the fall schedule than CSI: Miami," describing it as "on its own, a very fine show".

[102]Tim Goodman stated that "Caruso reminds everyone why he's good on the small screen, as the confident, dispassionate and slightly cynical Horatio.

[105]Nearly all episodes of the series had a cold open which ended with Caruso putting on sunglasses and making a quip or pun related to the newfound crime, before the show cut to the scream of "Yeah!"

The game features actual cast members such as Caine, Woods and Duquesne who are trying to solve a murder in South Beach with the player's assistance.

[159] In December 2003, Entertainment Weekly reported that "there are rumblings that co-creator Anthony Zuiker and company are planning a third franchise, to be set in New York City".

[161] Mac, a veteran officer "who lost his wife during the terror attacks on September 11", was expected to "make a guest appearance on CSI: Miami" in May 2004.

[164] The Futon Critic noted that Kanakaredes "was initially set up as the lead of the drama project I.C.E., about the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a wing of the Dept.

"[167] Anthony Zuiker also stated that, while "Miami feature[s] self-contained episodes that favor solving crimes over exploring characters' lives... NY [will] be more character-driven".

Each unit, which uses advanced forensic techniques to solve crimes, is headed by a veteran male, joined by a leading female", yet "climate offers variation.