Sinise, Veasey & Reiter Open Up About Tonight’s ‘CSI:NY’ Finale

CSI: New York will end its eighth season tonight with a “Near Death” experience for one member of the team at 9:00pm ET/PT. With the show’s future up in the air, viewers can expect to see a season finale that could double as a series finale. (Spoilers and embedded videos after the jump! Please note that one video will play automatically.)

“Near Death” finds Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) fighting for his life after being shot, and the team has to work the case while waiting to find out if their boss will live or die. “It’s about all of their relationships and closeness with Mac as a father figure, as a friend, as a boss,” Executive Producer Pam Veasey told TV Guide. “We give moments to every one of our core actors. They get to speak to who their character was these past eight years.” Sinise added, “Sometimes when somebody [dies] you wish you’d be able to say certain things when you had the chance. That’s a lot what this episode is about: characters saying things to each other … and expressing themselves in a way we haven’t really seen.”

Executive Producer Zach Reiter explained to E! Online that Mac is facing an emotional crisis. “Last year’s season finale was about have I done enough in this job? Can I move on? This season’s finale is more about the relationships with his team, and faced with the possibility of death, has he said the things he’s wanted to say?” Reiter revealed. “Does he have things he can pass down to the people who have meant so much to him?”

“I would say it’s certainly one of our best season finales, because it had to occupy two spaces—a season finale and a series finale, because we don’t know if we’re coming back,” Sinise explained to TV Line. “There was a lot of emotion in this one because we’re just not sure if our goodbyes in the episode are real or not.” The actor also told Zap2It, “I’d like to do another season if they want us to. We all enjoy doing the show, and I think the writers still have a lot of good stories left in them.”

Regarding the future of the series, Reiter revealed that the writers are already talking about season nine just in case CBS decides to give New York a second reprieve. “Not only have we left open the possibility, but Pam and I have already started kicking around ideas,” he said. “New York City is amazing. Even eight years in, we’re not done. But also characterwise, personal things, that if there is a season nine we’re really hoping to delve even further. In season nine we want to take those [personal moments] further, we don’t want to just do it in little blips.”

You can also check out two more videos from the episode below. First, a clip with Mac and Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) chasing after a suspect:

Next, here’s a scene featuring Jo Danville (Sela Ward) and Mac’s girlfriend Christine Whitney (Megan Dodds) in the hospital after the shooting:

You can find the full interviews, with even more information about the finale, at the following links: TV Guide, TV Line, E! Online and Zap2It