CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 3)

The third season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 26, 2002 and ended May 15, 2003. The series stars William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Season 3
Season 3 U.S. DVD cover
Starring	William Petersen Marg Helgenberger Gary Dourdan George Eads Jorja Fox Eric Szmanda Robert David Hall Paul Guilfoyle
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 26, 2002 – May 15, 2003
Season chronology

Plot

Grissom begins to suffer from hearing loss ("Inside the Box"), as Catherine faces the possibility of losing her daughter ("Lady Heather's Box") during the third season of CSI. Alongside their team, including Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, and Jim Brass, Willows and Grissom investigate the death of a poker player ("Revenge is Best Served Cold"), the evisceration of a cheerleader ("Let the Seller Beware"), a death at a little persons convention ("A Little Murder"), the overdose of a rock-star ("Abra-Cadaver"), a jewelry heist ("Fight Night"), a mob murder ("Blood Lust"), the discovery of a body covered in fire-ants ("Snuff"), and a drive-by shooting ("Random Acts of Violence"). Meanwhile, the team are faced with their own past when they testify in court ("The Accused is Entitled"), Sara struggles to cope with the psychological trauma that she is suffering from being caught up in the explosion ("Play with Fire"), and one of Doc Robbins' autopsies goes awry when the victim wakes up ("Got Murder?").

Cast

Changes

Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall, who joined the recurring cast in season one, become main cast members this season.

Main cast

• William Petersen as Gil Grissom, a CSI Level 3 Supervisor
• Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows, a CSI Level 3 Assistant Supervisor
• Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown, a CSI Level 3
• George Eads as Nick Stokes, a CSI Level 3
• Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle, a CSI Level 3
• Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders, a DNA Technician
• Robert David Hall as Al Robbins, the Chief Medical Examiner
• Paul Guilfoyle as Jim Brass, a Homicide Detective Captain

Recurring cast

• David Berman as Dr. David Phillips
• Archie Kao as Archie Johnson
• Gerald McCullouch as Bobby Dawson
• Romy Rosemont as Jacqui Franco
• Jeffrey D. Sams as Det. Cyrus Lockwood
• Wallace Langham as David Hodges
• Christopher Wiehl as Hank Peddigrew
• Joseph Patrick Kelly as Officer Joe Metcalf
• Skip O'Brien as Sgt. Ray O'Riley
• Geoffrey Rivas as Det. Sam Vega

Guest cast

• Scott Wilson as Sam Braun
• Timothy Carhart as Eddie Willows
• Melinda Clarke as Lady Heather
• Pamela Gidley as Teri Miller
• Eric Stonestreet as Ronnie Litre
• Jules Sylvester as Jake
• Carmine Giovinazzo as Thumpy G.[1]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
47	1	"Revenge Is Best Served Cold"	Danny Cannon	Anthony E. Zuiker & Carol Mendelsohn	September 26, 2002	302	30.47[2]
Grissom, Sara and Warrick investigate when a poker player drops dead at the table during a high-stakes game. Nick and Catherine investigate a dead body found in an abandoned air strip, which leads them to the world of street racing.
48	2	"The Accused Is Entitled"	Kenneth Fink	Ann Donahue & Elizabeth Devine	October 3, 2002	301	28.46[3]
When a famous movie star (played by Chad Michael Murray) is accused of a double murder, his lawyer hires Grissom's former mentor to find errors in the CSIs' work. Things get even worse when their personal lives are used against them in the trial.
49	3	"Let the Seller Beware"	Richard J. Lewis	Andrew Lipsitz & Anthony E. Zuiker	October 10, 2002	303	29.90[4]
Grissom, Catherine, Nick and Warrick investigate when a wealthy couple is murdered at their house, which was up for sale. Meanwhile Sara is sent to a local high school where a cheerleader was found eviscerated on the football field.
50	4	"A Little Murder"	Tucker Gates	Naren Shankar & Ann Donahue	October 17, 2002	304	30.81[5]
Grissom, Sara and Nick suspect murder when the body of a dwarf is found hanging from a rope above the stage at a Little People's convention. Catherine and Warrick investigate a murder during a home invasion. While processing the scene, Catherine is attacked by the suspect.
51	5	"Abra-Cadaver"	Danny Cannon	Anthony E. Zuiker & Danny Cannon	October 31, 2002	306	28.95[6]
Grissom, Warrick and Sara investigate when a woman who was already missing disappears while taking part in a magician's act. Things get worse when the magician burns to death on the stage. But Grissom soon discovers that all is not what it seems. Nick and Catherine find evidence of murder when a rock star dies from an overdose in his tour bus.
52	6	"The Execution of Catherine Willows"	Kenneth Fink	Carol Mendelsohn & Elizabeth Devine	November 7, 2002	305	27.86[7]
Fifteen years ago, Catherine helped to put John Mathers on death row for the rape and murder of a young student at a local college. On the day of his execution, he's granted a stay based on new DNA evidence. Meanwhile, Grissom, Nick and Sara are looking for a missing student, who is found murdered and left in exactly the same fashion as the women in Catherine's case.
53	7	"Fight Night"	Richard J. Lewis	Andrew Lipsitz & Naren Shankar	November 14, 2002	307	29.94[8]
Grissom, Sara and Warrick investigate when a boxer dies in the ring during 'Fight Night'. Nick quickly solves a robbery at a jewelry store, but finds reason not to close the case just yet. Catherine investigates when a gang member is shot at a parking lot.
54	8	"Snuff"	Kenneth Fink	Ann Donahue & Bob Harris	November 21, 2002	308	25.97[9]
Catherine, Sara and Warrick are left without a body or crime scene when a snuff film shows the real murder of a young woman. Meanwhile Grissom and Nick are trying to find the identity and killer of a body found in a tool chest, covered with fire ants.
55	9	"Blood Lust"	Charlie Correll	Josh Berman & Carol Mendelsohn	December 5, 2002	309	29.74[10]
A taxi driver is beaten to death by a mob after running over a boy with his taxi. When Grissom arrives at the scene, he finds out that the boy was already dying from a stab wound. When Grissom and Sara find the actual crime scene at a basketball court, they discover the body of a man that was shot to death. Are the two murders related?
56	10	"High and Low"	Richard J. Lewis	Eli Talbert & Naren Shankar	December 12, 2002	310	25.89[11]
Grissom, Nick and Warrick investigate when a body falls from the sky and lands between a couple of rollerbladers. But soon Grissom's hearing problem forces him to leave the case to Nick and Warrick. Meanwhile Catherine investigates the death of a man who was shot with his own gun.
57	11	"Recipe for Murder"	Richard J. Lewis & J. Miller Tobin	Anthony E. Zuiker & Ann Donahue	January 9, 2003	311	25.48[12]
Grissom and Catherine investigate when the chef of a fancy restaurant ends up in a meat grinder. They soon discover a lot more went on in the kitchen than cooking. Meanwhile Sara and Warrick find out that the apparent suicide of a young woman who suffered from bipolar disorder is actually a murder.
58	12	"Got Murder?"	Kenneth Fink	Sarah Goldfinger	January 16, 2003	312	27.87[13]
When a raven is spotted with a human eyeball in its beak, it is up to Catherine, Sara and Nick to find the rest of the body and the killer. Meanwhile a normal autopsy turns into a special one when the victim is not dead. David and Dr. Robbins manage to save his life, only to have him die later. Grissom and Warrick then try to find out who wanted the man dead.
59	13	"Random Acts of Violence"	Danny Cannon	Danny Cannon & Naren Shankar	January 30, 2003	313	27.48[14]
When the nine-year-old daughter of Warrick's former mentor is killed in a drive-by shooting, Warrick lets his emotions lead him to assume a suspect is guilty without looking at the evidence. Meanwhile Nick investigates when a man is found dead in a sealed computer room. All of the victim's employees had reason to kill him, but none of them claim to have seen a thing.
60	14	"One Hit Wonder"	Félix Enríquez Alcalá	Corey Miller	February 6, 2003	314	25.60[15]
Grissom, Catherine, Nick and Warrick investigate a 'peeping Tom' who escalated into breaking into women's apartments and terrorizing them. Meanwhile Sara reopens the murder case of a colleague's husband. The bullet that is still inside her friend's body can help Sara find the killer, but her friend may not survive the operation to remove it.
61	15	"Lady Heather's Box"	Richard J. Lewis	Story by : Anthony E. Zuiker & Ann Donahue & Josh Berman & Bob Harris Teleplay by : Carol Mendelsohn & Andrew Lipsitz & Naren Shankar & Eli Talbert	February 13, 2003	315	27.21[16]
Grissom and Brass pay another visit to Lady Heather when one of her employees is found dead in a local club. Meanwhile Catherine is faced with a crisis when she has to save her daughter Lindsey from a flooded car and her former husband Eddie who was driving the car is found murdered.
62	16	"Lucky Strike"	Kenneth Fink	Eli Talbert & Anthony E. Zuiker	February 20, 2003	316	27.95[17]
Catherine and Warrick try to find evidence when the 5-year-old son of a professional basketball player is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Grissom and Nick investigate when a man stumbles out of his car and dies ... from a wooden stake lodged in the back of his head.
63	17	"Crash and Burn"	Richard J. Lewis	Josh Berman	March 13, 2003	317	28.60[18]
Sara finds out some disturbing news about her boyfriend Hank while she, Catherine and Warrick investigate a deadly car crash. Meanwhile Grissom and Nick find out that the death of a woman who died of carbon monoxide poisoning was not an accident.
64	18	"Precious Metal"	Deran Sarafian	Naren Shankar & Andrew Lipsitz	April 3, 2003	318	26.37[19]
Catherine, Nick and Sara investigate a badly decomposed body found in a chemical-waste barrel. They soon learn the victim was involved in something called 'Robot Rumble'. Meanwhile, Greg helps Grissom and Warrick solve the murder of a man whose body is found in an alley, after being killed in his own home.
65	19	"A Night at the Movies"	Matt Earl Beesley	Story by : Carol Mendelsohn Teleplay by : Danny Cannon & Anthony E. Zuiker	April 10, 2003	319	26.45[20]
Grissom and Catherine investigate a man murdered in a movie theater during the show. The murder weapon, a screwdriver, is found to possess glove prints. When the incriminating leather gloves are recovered the team discovers a unique combination of chemicals on them that lead them to a suspect. Meanwhile Warrick, Nick and Sara investigate the death of a teenager found shot to death in a bullet-riddled warehouse, where more than 100 rounds were fired from every conceivable angle, but was only hit once.
66	20	"Last Laugh"	Richard J. Lewis	Story by : Bob Harris & Carol Mendelsohn Teleplay by : Bob Harris & Anthony E. Zuiker	April 24, 2003	320	25.22[21]
Grissom and Catherine investigate the murder of a comic who dropped dead on stage after drinking from a tainted bottle of water. Warrick is sent to a convenience store to investigate the death of a 15-year-old boy only to find out the boy died after drinking the same brand of water. Brass asks Nick and Sara to investigate a case he ruled an accidental death after spotting the 'grieving' husband in a very expensive new car.
67	21	"Forever"	David Grossman	Sarah Goldfinger	May 1, 2003	321	22.66[22]
Grissom, Nick and Catherine investigate when a horse trainer is found dead in the cargo bay of a private jet. At first it looks like the victim is trampled by the horse, but Grissom and his team soon discover the situation is more complex. Meanwhile Sara and Warrick investigate how two teens could have committed suicide in the middle of the desert.
68	22	"Play with Fire"	Kenneth Fink	Naren Shankar & Andrew Lipsitz	May 8, 2003	322	25.10[23]
Grissom, Sara, and Nick investigate the murder of a young woman who was involved with a shady ex con, found dead in the press box of a high school stadium. They arrive less than an hour after the woman's death. In the aftermath of an explosion in the DNA Lab that leaves Greg seriously injured and hospitalized, Catherine and Warrick try to find out who is responsible, while Sara struggles to cope with the psychological trauma that she is suffering from being caught up in the explosion.
69	23	"Inside the Box"	Danny Cannon	Carol Mendelsohn & Anthony E. Zuiker	May 15, 2003	323	23.87[24]
The CSIs are called upon to investigate a bank robbery during which Detective Lockwood is shot and killed. Things get personal for Catherine when the evidence leads to casino owner Sam Braun. Grissom finally makes a decision about his hearing.

References

1. Giovinazzo later joins the main cast of CSI: NY as NYPD Detective Third Grade Danny Messer
2. CBS wins premiere week in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress October 1, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
3. CBS wins its second consecutive week in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress October 8, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
4. CBS makes it 3 for 3. CBS PressExpress October 15, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
5. CBS 8.4/14 8.1/13 +4%. CBS PressExpress October 22, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
6. CBS back in the winner circle. CBS PressExpress November 5, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
7. CBS wins in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress November 12, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
8. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is the number one. CBS PressExpress November 19, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
9. CBS places first in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress November 26, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
10. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is the most-watched and rated program of the season. CBS PressExpress December 14, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
11. CBS wins Thursday in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress December 13, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
12. CBS places first for the 12th time in 16 weeks with its best Households, Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 performance [sic] in nearly two years. CBS PressExpress January 14, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
13. CBS dominates the week in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress January 22, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
14. "CSI" is the week's real Idol. CBS PressExpress February 4, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
15. CBS wins the week in viewers. CBS PressExpress February 11, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
16. "Super-Sized" CBS topples "Super-Sized" NBC. CBS PressExpress February 13, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
17. CBS wins extraordinary thursday showdown. CBS PressExpress February 21, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
18. CBS places first in viewers and households for the sixth consecutive week and is a strong second in adults 25-54. CBS PressExpress March 18, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
19. CBS places first in viewers, households and men 25-54 Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine. CBS PressExpress April 8, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
20. CSI: Crime Scene Investigion," "Survivor: The Amazon," "Ncaa Men's Basketball Championship" and "Without A Trace" Lead Cbs To 21st Weekly Win of the Season. CBS PressExpress April 15, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
21. CBS places first in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress April 29, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
22. CBS is number one in viewers and households. CBS PressExpress May 6, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
23. CBS places first in viewers, households, adults 25-54 and is just one-tenth of a rating point from first in Adults 18-49. CBS PressExpress May 13, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
24. CBS streaks toward the finish line with its fourth consecutive weekly win in viewers and households and 12th in the last 15. CBS PressExpress May 14, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2010.

External links

• DVD Release Dates at TVShowsOnDVD.com.