A Tale of Three Cities

Then there are Miami's fires -- controlled burns to take out the underbrush -- and its watery natural surroundings. In one of the first episodes of "CSI: Miami," someone fishing for sharks pulled a body out of the water instead. In another, Lt. Horatio Caine (David Caruso) entered a part of the Everglades where sharks and alligators coexist to rescue a stranded boy.

"You could not do that in any other city and have that kind of fear," Donahue said.

When the third "CSI" premiered in 2004, New York was an instant character -- its high-rises, its population density, its ethnic mix, its weather and icons such as Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. But the look of the newest "CSI" took some time to perfect.

"When we first started out, it was dark and very grainy and felt like an independent film," said Melina Kanakaredes, who plays Stella Bonasera. Viewers responded -- by tuning out. So the show lightened up visually.

The change reminded Kanakaredes of early in her career when she was an aspiring actress in New York and lived in an apartment with one window facing a courtyard.

"I couldn't tell if it was sunny or snowing," she said.

Then she started to make money and moved to the 11th floor -- and "I could see a whole 'nother New York," she said.

The three CSIs are produced near each other in the Los Angeles area, and they have what Mendelsohn called a checks-and-balances system so they don't duplicate stories.

Each series films in its respective city three to four times a year, giving the episodes an extra burst of authenticity.

Adam Rodriguez, who plays Delko, remembered the first season of "CSI: Miami," when he made the first scuba dive of his life in a swampy area of the Everglades.

"As I'm getting out of the water," he said, "I turn around to look and there's a six-foot alligator laying in wait in a bunch of reeds that were about 12 feet from where I had been the whole time. I was already out of the water, so I felt pretty safe. But just the thought that it was as close as it was got my heart pumping a little bit."

CSI: MIAMI

Season finale Monday (5/14) at 10 p.m. on CBS

CSI: NY

Season finale Wednesday (5/16) at 10 p.m. on CBS

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

Season finale Thursday (5/17) at 9 p.m. on CBS