Coaster Crash Episode To Kick Off May Sweeps

See Also: 'Turn of the Screws' Episode Guide

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will pull out all the stops to lure viewers during the May sweeps period.

"A Screw Turned Loose", scheduled to air on May 6, is set to centre around a roller coaster crash at the fictional Las Vegas Sphinx Amusement Park. "This season in general we've been focusing on small storylines, but this is a big story," writer Josh Berman, who also serves as a supervising producer, told the Redlands Daily Facts. "It'll have the highest body count ever."

May 6 is also the date for the final episode of NBC's popular sitcom, Friends. Although the long-running comedy series airs at 8:00 p.m., an hour earlier than CSI, the large audience which tunes in to watch the final episode will likely have a positive flow-on effect for NBC throughout the rest of the night. Berman said "A Screw Turned Loose" will be a special treat for loyal CSI (and CBS) viewers. "We want to reward them with a great episode."

The episode will guest star Ron Dean as Woody, the Sphinx Amusement Park's maintenance guru. By coincidence, the head of maintenance at Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, where the location scenes were filmed, is also nicknamed Woody. Dean, a character actor who hails from Chicago, has appeared in The Breakfast Club, Cocktail, The Fugitive and The Client.

Deran Sarafian, who has helmed several instalments of CSI and CSI: Miami, will direct "A Screw Turned Loose". The original news item, which contains additional details about the location filming, can be found at the Redlands Daily Facts.

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