The franchise airs three brand new episodes this week.

Starting out the week on Monday at 10:00pm ET/PT, CSI: Miami puts one member of the crime lab between a "Rock and a Hard Place":

When Alexx's son becomes a suspect in a murder, saving him has dire consequences.

This is Gina Lamar's fourth turn in the director's chair for Miami. The last episode she directed was "Raising Caine". Marc Dube has written twenty previous episode of Miami, including "Miami Confidential" from earlier this season.

The following actors and actresses guest-star in "Rock and a Hard Place":

• Boti Bliss as Maxine Valera
• Harrison Knight as Bryan Woods
• Basil Wallace as Henry Woods
• Jack McGee as Agent Brad Sylvestri
• Katherine Moennig as Mary Landis
• Scott Elrod as Jim Barber
• Toby Hemingway as Trey Holt
• Stoney Westmoreland as Phillip Rockland
• Sam Younis as Hotel Manager
• Chad Henderson as Paramedic

Boti Bliss is returning to her established role as Maxine Valera. Basil Wallace appeared in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Coming of Rage". Jack McGee appeared in two episodes of CSI (playing two different characters): season three's "Abra Cadaver" and this season's "Grissom's Divine Comedy". Scott Elrod was in the CSI: New York episode "Grand Murder at Central Station".

On Wednesday at 10:00pm ET/PT, CSI: New York airs "Personal Foul", and the cabbie killer is back:

The CSI team follows a forensic trail of evidence to stop the "Taxi Cab Killer" from killing another fare.

Anthony Hemingway has directed four previous episodes of New York, including this season's "Like Water for Murder". Sam Humphrey wrote "Like Water for Murder", as well as four other episodes of CSI: NY.

"Personal Foul" contains the following guest-stars:

• Robert Joy as Dr. Sid Hammerback
• Jessalyn Gilsig as Jordan Gates
• Verne Lundquist as Himself
• Bill Raftery as Himself
• Keri Lynn Pratt as Paula Tolomeo
• Jay Jablonski as Dugan Scott
• Robert Maffia as Abraham
• Geno Monteiro as Lamont Henford
• Kyle Gallner as Reed Garrett
• Nefetari Spencer as Reporter #1
• Matt Haslett as Reporter #2
• Johnny Palermo as Ronnie Hall
• Jacqueline Pinol as Rikki Sandoval
• Lindsay Hollister as Plus Size Paula

Robert Joy is reprising his role as New York's resident coroner. Kyle Gallner ("Like Water for Murder"), Jacqueline Pinol ("Right Next Door") and Jessalyn Gilsig ("DOA for a Day") are returning as established characters. Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are guest-starring as themselves. Keri Lynn Pratt was in two episodes of CSI: "Evaluation Day" and "Spellbound". Geno Monteiro was in both CSI ("Redrum") and Miami ("High Octane").

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will air its half of the writer-crossover with Two and a Half Men on Thursday at 9:00pm ET/PT. "Two and a Half Deaths" shows that crime isn't funny:

Grissom and the CSI team become involved in the world of Hollywood comedy when a diva sitcom star (Sagal) meets an untimely demise while filming her show in Las Vegas.

This is the fifth time Alec Smight has directed CSI. His latest episode was "The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp". "Two and a Half Deaths" was written by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. Both men are executive producers for Two and a Half Men.

The following guest-stars will appear in this week's episode of CSI:

• David Berman as David Phillips
• Liz Vassey as Wendy Simms
• Katey Sagal as Annabelle Bundt/Natasha Steele
• Rachael Harris as Megan Kupowski
• Diedrich Bader as Bud Parker
• Constance Marie as Det. Carolina Flores
• Jon Wellner as Henry Andrews
• Larry Mitchell as Officer Mitchell
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Spencer Freiberg
• Benjamin King as Stewart Lytle
• Tom McGowan as Mark
• JD Walsh as Eddie
• Kevin Sussman as Don
• Brian Letscher as Richard Langford

David Berman, Liz Vassey and Jon Wellner are reprising established recurring roles in the lab. Larry Mitchell has appeared in 27 previous episodes of CSI as Officer Mitchell. Stephen Tobolowsky was in five episodes of Miami, the latest being "Whacked". Benjamin King guest-starred in the Miami episode "Collision" during the show's fourth season.

"Rock and a Hard Place", "Personal Foul" and "Two and a Half Deaths" begin airing May 5 on CBS.

Discuss this news item at Talk CSI!
 Add CSI Files RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!