With 50 million viewers around the world, CSI:Miami ranks above Lost, Desperate Housewives and even franchise original CSI:Crime Scene Investigation, according to a survey by business research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.

“For me, the exciting part of that is that it opened some doors for us to go and embrace the audience around the world, literally, and physically be there.” David Caruso (Horatio Caine) said. “And Brazil is just the beginning.”

“It is my fervent wish – knock on wood – that we continue to travel foreign because it was great for us and a very comfortable fit and appropriate to who we are,” Caruso said. “I feel it is key to who we are, which is why we’ve been embraced. In a funny way, ‘CSI:Miami’ is ‘CSI:Rio’ and ‘CSI:Dubai’ and ‘CSI:Berlin.’ Miami itself is a very international place, and one of the things we’ve been able to do is capture the international flair of the world of Miami.”

Caruso and show co-creator Ann Donahue came face to face with the international power of CSI:Miami in April when they were invited to a reception in Cannes, France hosted by Alliance Atlantis International Television, which distributes the franchise globally. The event, part of the largest trade show for TV programming, introduced Caruso and Donahue to buyers who wanted to persuade Donahue to film in their countries. That enthusiasm inspired Caruso and Donahue to go global with their storytelling. To their surprise, CBS and Paramount promptly approved the request. The writers selected Brazil because the show had already established a story there.

CBS President Nina Tassler said the network would consider letting Horatio travel again given what the Rio trip produced. “The footage they brought back is just gorgeous. It just took your breath away.”

For the full story, visit the LA Times .

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