The 2022-23 broadcast season is starting to wind down, so audiences can anticipate learning more information about all the upcoming TV finales, and that certainly includes CBS' CSI: Vegas. The latest spinoff within the long-established crime franchise will air its Season 2 finale in May, and even beyond the absences of OGs Grissom and Sara, the drama will conclude somewhat differently than it did when Season 1 wrapped up.
CSI: Vegas Season 2 has granted viewers the return of Marg Helgenberger, with fellow vet Eric Szmanda returning soon as well, and after closing out a season-long case, the team will be shifting their focus ahead of the already renewed third season. Showrunner Jason Tracey tells TV Insider that the finale is going to be a bit more personal for the characters, and maybe even too personal. Here's how he put it:
It’s a little different. We’re going to ramp to a very personal place at the end of this season. It’s a little bit less a puzzle box and a lot of moody speculation about a big case, and it’s a lot more with our characters. What you’ll find with the finale is it couldn’t be more personal. It’s going to be a little bit of more direct connect between Seasons 2 and 3 than there existed between 1 and 2.
With procedurals, it’s always a struggle to balance personal storylines with everything happening on the job front. So it seems that when the drama is done with its silver ink case, the narrative will dig deeper into personal moments with the character ensemble. And with a third season of CSI: Vegas already confirmed as part of the 2023 Fall TV schedule, this moody speculation will presumably serve as connective tissue between seasons, without having to necessarily end on a big case cliffhanger.
Of course, the Vegas team will still be working on cases for the remainder of the season, just maybe not giant ones. As well, Matt Lauria’s Folsom arc will continue to develop. In previewing what the final episodes of the season will look like, Jason Tracey previewed what could be in store for Folsom and his family:
We’ve got some cases, we’ve got another little arc coming to do with — in this season, we’ve seen how difficult it is for Folsom [Matt Lauria], who grew up in Vegas around some very rough stuff, and he’s got some challenging family members, and that’s going to come to the fore. We do have plenty of big cases of the week, but we also have the rumbles of and a ramp-up to a very personal finale, and I think it might be time to focus on Folsom.
While Tracey didn’t reveal too much about how personal it will get for Joshua Folsom, the character has taken on more leadership duties this season, as compared to the spinoff's first. Whether it's been mentoring and using his upbringing as inspiration, or stepping it up in other ways, his growth is obviously, andn it sounds like fans will be learning more about Folsom going forward.
On top of the personal storyline for Folsom, it’s possible the upcoming episodes will also delve further into his relationships with Serena and Allie for a typical (or atypical) love triangle. Fans will likely want some kind of confirmation as to who will finally steal his heart, though it’s hard to predict how it will go down.
Since the season finale of the crime drama is going to be focusing more on the personal aspect of the series, it would be interesting to see if any other big cases are introduced, even if not necessarily in the finale. It's a smart move to set things up differently from how the Season 1 finale was handled, and if it works out successfully, perhaps the creative team will go that route again when Season 3 closes out.
However it goes, fans can look forward to seeing CSI: Vegas wrap up Season 2 on CBS on Thursday, May 18, at 10:00 p.m. ET.
