ABC: We Should Have Kept 'CSI'

It's well-known CSI helped propel CBS to the status of most-watched network, but less people are aware ABC could have been in that spot - if it had only ponied up the money.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, CSI executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed he originally offered the show to Disney's ABC network, after having made movies at Disney's film unit since 1991. But ABC balked at the high costs and didn't believe the show would be popular abroad. "It's their loss," Bruckheimer commented. "Sometimes it's not good to bet against us, and they bet against us."

Looking back, ABC agreed with Bruckheimer. "At the time, the only way the economics of this series made sense was if the show became the biggest hit on television," the network told the LA Times. "You can't run a television studio based on the premise that you make money only if the show reaches mega-hit status. [Since] it actually became one of the biggest hits on television, in hindsight we would have preferred to keep the show."

After ABC passed, CBS was quick to take on the show, as well as new Bruckheimer productions such as CSI: Miami and FBI crime show Without a Trace. Analysts believe the show could bring in as much as $500 million in profits for CBS, spin-offs included. "He has a golden touch," CBS president Les Moonves remarked. "He's our No. 1 supplier."

For his part, Bruckheimer says he's quite happy to continue in TV. "Features take forever. In television, you develop the scripts, the networks read the scripts and they either want a pilot or they don't. If they want a pilot, you're off and running."

More on Bruckheimer's recent transition from film to television can be found in Claudia Eller's and James Bates' full article at the Los Angeles Times, also featuring a short quote from David Caruso (Horatio Caine).

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