For the first time since the 2008 writers strike, veteran crime drama CSI won’t have a full season of episodes. CBS has reportedly decided to cut season 15’s order from 22 to 18 installments.

The original CSI continues to follow Las Vegas crime scene investigators as they try to solve bizarre cases. This season’s castmates are Ted Danson, Elisabeth Shue, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, David Berman, Elisabeth Hamois, and Jon Wellner.

The ratings are understandably down year-to-year, thanks to CSI’s move to Sunday nights when start-times often get pushed thanks to football over-runs. Still, the numbers aren’t bad compared to previous year’s timeslot occupants.

The episode trim is supposedly due to the network having too much programming waiting in the wings. New series CSI: Cyber will take over the Sundays at 10pm timeslot later in the season. The network also has the seventh (and final) season of The Mentalist and Vince Gilligan’s new series Battle Creek.

What do you think? Are you still watching the original CSI? Do you think this is a bad sign for the show’s future or just a case of limited timeslots.