CBS' Cold Case Revival Is the Best Crime Drama Idea in Years

• The CBS crime drama Cold Case was vastly underrated, with a stellar cast and thoughtfully crafted episodes.
• CBS is reportedly developing a new Cold Case series, which would bring back at least one actor.
• The potential Cold Case revival can capitalize on renewed interest in cold cases and provide a unique TV experience.

A Cold Case revival might finally get the CBS crime drama the recognition it’s always deserved — but more than that, it’s exactly what would spice up a predictable genre. Detective Lilly Rush and her colleagues were a breath of fresh air when Cold Case premiered in 2003, and they developed a loyal fan base over seven seasons and more than 150 episodes because they didn’t do things the procedural way.

Now CBS is reportedly developing a new Cold Case series, and there’s every reason to get excited about it. The characters and storytelling are worth revisiting, especially with the original show having rebuilt its audience through streaming and cable TV reruns. But the crime genre has also changed an awful lot since Cold Case went off the air in 2010 — and the current trends are playing right into Lilly and company’s hands.

Cold Case Was a Vastly Underrated TV Series

The Show and Its Cast Never Got the Praise They Deserved

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During its original run from 2003 to 2010, Cold Case largely flew under the radar. While those who watched it became dedicated fans, the show was airing at the same time that Jerry Bruckheimer was producing multiple hit crime dramas for CBS. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation quickly turned into a massive franchise and there was also the success of Without a Trace, led by established film star and Tony Award winner Anthony LaPaglia. TV viewers would be forgiven for not knowing that Bruckheimer also executive produced Cold Case, which wasn’t part of a franchise and didn’t have a known name in its cast.

That cast, however, was one of the best ensembles on any TV procedural. The underrated Kathryn Morris shone as Lilly Rush, and Danny Pino joined the cast a handful of episodes later — replacing future Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers — as Lilly’s new partner Scotty Valens. They were surrounded by a team that knew how to play off one another incredibly well: Thom Barry (The Fast and the Furious) as Will Jeffries, Jeremy Ratchford (who also played the X-Men’s Banshee in both live-action and animation) as Jeffries’ equally world-weary partner Nick Vera, and John Finn (The Walking Dead) as John Stillman. Once 9-1-1’s Tracie Thoms joined in Season 3 as Kat Miller, this lineup of always reliable actors was complete. Their not being A-listers worked in their favor as they embodied their characters so well that each one felt like somebody the viewers could walk into on a Philadelphia street. Pino and Finn also got behind-the-scenes credits over the course of the series, writing and directing respectively.

Beyond that, Cold Case had an incredible cast of guest actors over the years to populate its stories, helping to bring them to even better life than the average “case of the week” procedural. The witnesses, victims and suspects were so much better drawn in scripts that had nuance, character depth and genuine heartbreak. Producers also went to great lengths to ground the show in whatever time period the detectives were exploring — including the use of decade-appropriate music, the rights for which notoriously prevented Cold Case from any kind of home release until 2020. But everything about the show, on and off-screen, felt deliberate and thoughtful. It was the kind of care that’s directly opposite to the almost assembly line-like feel of today’s TV crime dramas, which is one of the reasons why this is the perfect time for a Cold Case return.

A Cold Case Revival Has Every Chance To Be a Hit

Why a New Series Wouldn’t Be Just Another Reboot

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Despite the oversaturation of TV reboots and revivals, Cold Case has every reason to once again stand out from the crowd. While being referred to as a Cold Case reboot, it’s actually more of a revival because the story is expected to pick up 15 years after the original series, and it’s expected to incorporate classic characters. It’s not starting over; it’s carrying on. The involvement of series creator Meredith Stiehm is a huge mark in its favor — as is the fact that per Deadline, Danny Pino has expressed interest at reprising his role as Detective Scotty Valens. The potential involvement of Law & Order: SVU alum Pino suggests that the Cold Case revival is following the path forged by CSI: Vegas, which is the perfect approach.

CSI: Vegas succeeded because it honored CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and gave existing fans that satisfaction, but it seamlessly integrated new characters and more modern stories, ensuring that it wasn’t reliant on nostalgia. What could have been a one-and-done limited series is now on Season 3 because Jason Tracey and his team built their world in layers. The Cold Case revival can similarly be a hit for CBS if it’s able to bring back the original cast and let them organically mesh with the new Philadelphia detectives who are supposed to carry the show forward. It can’t simply ride on the old team’s coattails; it has to bring something fresh to the table, too.

Yet that fresh angle is already somewhat on the table. Interest in cold cases has been on the rise for years, as the explosion in the true crime genre has led to multiple miniseries and documentaries that focus on re-examining dormant investigations — on top of the ongoing success of Dick Wolf’s Cold Justice, led by Kelly Siegler. On the scripted side, Prime Video is working with author Michael Connelly on a Bosch spinoff based on the character of Renee Ballard, who is a cold case detective for the Los Angeles Police Department. Bringing back Cold Case fits perfectly into this developing niche. That, in turn, will make the show feel timely without the pressure to incorporate current events or issues… something that’s been an Achilles heel for other crime dramas, which sometimes try a little too hard to fit a story around a hot topic.

Then there are the strategic advantages. It was established that Cold Case, CSI and Without a Trace all share one universe — not surprising given that they all had the same executive producer — so new Cold Case episodes automatically open the door for a crossover with CSI: Vegas. That’s a huge marketing plus for CBS in TV’s current franchise-heavy age, although it would have to be used sparingly to avoid turning Cold Case into something it isn’t. But a revival can also have a long-term benefit for the network. CBS is known for its procedurals, yet it could use another marquee title. Blue Bloods is ending in fall 2024 and the Criminal Minds revival is on Paramount+ instead of network TV. Cold Case would give CBS another known name to go with CSI and NCIS; it may never have been as big as either of those franchises, but people still have heard of it.

And stylistically, there’s nothing on the air like Cold Case. It took place in a different locale than most crime dramas and it simply did things differently than any other show. There weren’t any huge “event” episodes or stunt castings, and while its characters’ personal lives were a part of the action, they didn’t pull audiences away from the main stories. Cold Case episodes were as much — if not moreso — about the civilians than they were about the detectives. That shift in focus and the ability to follow along without knowing other shows or a lot of canon would help answer some of the critiques from those TV viewers who are tired of franchises and cookie-cutter cop shows. It would again be a breath of fresh air in the TV crime drama landscape to have a series that is quieter, more thoughtful, and much more creative. Like Lilly Rush, Scotty Valens and the team, Cold Case as a show was just focused on doing its job well. Doing a Cold Case revival in 2024 would feel like bringing the whole genre back to its roots, and hopefully recapture some of what’s made crime dramas so enjoyable.

Cold Case is currently streaming on Max.