Back in March when CBS caught wind of ABC’s scheduling change for Grey’s Anatomy, they say down to creatively talk about Season 7 of CSI. “The producer’s really started challenging themselves,” says CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.

A couple of the strategies that were created came out in the two-part season opener, “Built to Kill.” The first of which is the creation of serialized storylines. The storyline involving the painstaking miniature model of the crime scene is one that involves a serial killer and will last at least through the middle of the season.

Another strategy is the use of stunt casting. George Eads (Nick Stokes) and Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) swayed to a performance by John Mayer in the season opener. Last week, Danny Bonaduce and Sean Young, both known for dramatic personal and professional lives, were cast as a murdered rock star and his ex-wife.

These strategies are employed to keep the show fresh, in order to compete with it’s sexy night time soap rival. However, long time fans needn’t worry that the changes will ruin the show they love. Executive producer Naren Shankar says the writers understand the unusual chemistry of CSI and may refine the formula, but won’t alter it. “Shows often, I think, make the mistake when they try to change their DNA, for lack of a better term. … When you start trying to change what a show is, in response to what may or may not be on or what you think other people may or may not want, it’s almost always a mistake,” say Shankar.

To read more, head over to Orlando Sentinel.

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