The choice to place this series in Las Vegas was not random. Among U.S. crime labs, Las Vegas is the second most active, surpassed only by the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. This fact is stated in the Pilot (2000).
While the majority of the techniques and technologies used in the show are accurate and true to reality, the writers and crew readily admit that they "time cheat". Tests that take a few seconds on the show often take several days or weeks in real life.
William Petersen took a small leave of absence to perform on a Providence, Rhode Island stage during season seven, and the character of Michael Kepler (Liev Schreiber) was created to be a temporary replacement.
Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows are loosely based on real-life Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department criminalists Daniel Holstein and Yolanda McClary, respectively.
A fallout between George Eads and one of the female writers of the show prompted the absence of Eads for five consecutive episodes in season fourteen, including the milestone 300th episode.