CSI may not be “America’s Favorite Show” but it has certainly earned an even more prestigious title.  The CBS forensic series created by Anthony E. Zuiker is now officially the world’s most watched show, according to the New York Post.

Based from the statistics of ratings firm Eurodata, which ranks shows by their worldwide ratings, CSI has conquered the top spot by drawing 83.9 million viewers in 2007, beating out its spin-off series CSI: Miami and favorites such as Desperate Housewives and House.  It is the second year in a row CSI has won that accolade.

ABC dramedy Desperate Housewives earned the title of top comedy series with 61.5 million viewers, while The Bold and the Beautiful was tagged as the most watched soap in the world with 26.2 million viewers.  On the other hand, American Idol, which is the biggest show in the United States, did not make the cut because different versions of it are seen in different countries.

CSI premiered in 2000 and has quickly earned a solid fan following.  The series centers on the investigation of a team of Las Vegas forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious crimes.

Two years later, CBS went on to produce a spin-off series, CSI: Miami, which is set in Miami, Florida, and then CSI: NY, which is set in New York City.  Considered as a global phenomenon, the CSI franchise has earned impressive ratings in the United States and in other countries as well.  Internationally, all three series of the CSI franchise currently rank among the top 20 U.S. series in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.  Each series in the franchise is licensed in over 180 territories.

CSI, the most watched among the three series, stars William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, Eric Szmanda, Lauren Lee Smith, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham and Paul Guilfoyle.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NY Post
(Image courtesy of CBS)