CSI fans, get the hankies ready. This week marks the beginning of the end for the show's New York spinoff, which returns to Channel 5 for its ninth and - sadly, as confirmed in May - final season.
Following the news, Digital Spy spoke exclusively to Sela Ward, who plays Detective Jo Danville, for her thoughts on CSI: NY's final season, its surprise cancellation and the decision to fill half an episode with nothing but Green Day songs...
Can you give us a few teasers about what is coming up on the final season of CSI: NY?
"I think they're really making an effort this season to reveal more of each character's personal life - love interests, days off - really trying to take every character and give them a richer view into their private world, which to me coming from the land of family drama is just like heaven.
"I think it's a nice thing for the audience, they haven't done that historically so I think it really spices things up."
You mentioned love interests - are there are any coming up for Jo?
"At the beginning of the season they brought Peter Horton in to have a small arc as my love interest, or a guy that Jo knew and dated while she was in the FBI, and that was great fun.
"He's been directing really for many years now and CSI is the first time he's come back and acted in a very long time, so that was a treat.
"He's just a sweetheart, and filming with him was a lot of fun actually. Having Jo find love was the fun part. I love all the personal side of her life."
There's one episode in this season where the first half features no dialogue, just Green Day music. How did you feel about that?
"I thought it was a great idea. I happened to love [silent movie] The Artist, I thought that was a fabulous film, so that was our kind of take on that. I thought it was very, very clever and very powerful."
Is that your favourite episode of the season?
"I wouldn't say that was my favourite, only because I wasn't in it a lot. My favourite episodes, of course, are the ones where I have more to do personally."
You were the last of the main cast to join CSI: NY. Have you managed to become more settled?
"Yeah, I'm really finding my sea legs as they say and having a great time. I'm very comfortable now. At the beginning of the show I was definitely a fish out of water.
"CSI was so different for me. But the cast were very kind, very embracing, and now it feels great. I had a lot of fun."
What were the storylines you loved most in this final season and across CSI: NY as a whole?
"Anything that has a storyline that feels more personal, or anything where you have a lot of interaction between the characters even in the middle of solving a crime.
"Anything where you really get that these people enjoy each other and have a relationship. Those are the scenes I enjoy the most, but whatever they threw at me I was thrilled with."
Are you sad to see CSI: NY go?
"Yeah, I think it is sad. I think people were very attached to this franchise as a whole. We heard about CSI: Miami ending and I thought, 'At least it wasn't ours'."
"It's something I can't control. It's literally all about the bottom line and ratings. It's just the game of broadcast television. I really enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun and I think it was a great show."
Did you think CSI: NY still had stories left to be told?
"There probably were many stories they could have told - there are headlines every day about new, horrific and demented crimes. I don't think they would've run out of storylines by any means."
CSI: NY's final season begins tomorrow (July 30) at 9pm on Channel 5.
