| Cold Case | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Meredith Stiehm |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Helmut and Franz Vonlichten with intro byMichael A. Levine |
| Opening theme | Nara |
| Composer | Michael A. Levine |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 156(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Production locations | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Running time | 42–45 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 28, 2003 (2003-09-28) – May 2, 2010 (2010-05-02) |
| Related | |
Cold Case is an Americanpolice proceduralcrime drama television series. It ran onCBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalizedPhiladelphia Police Department division that specializes in investigatingcold cases, usuallyhomicides.[1] On May 18, 2010, the series was cancelled after seven seasons.
The show is set inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, and it follows Detective Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris), ahomicide detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, who specializes in cold cases, investigations which are no longer being actively pursued by the department. Rush was initially partnered with Detective Chris Lassing (Justin Chambers) in the first five episodes and then with Detective Scotty Valens (Danny Pino) for the remainder of the series. They work under Lieutenant John Stillman (John Finn) and are assisted by other detectives from their squad—Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford), Will Jeffries (Thom Barry), and beginning in season three, Kat Miller (Tracie Thoms).[1]
Usually, each episode would focus on a single investigation. All cases involved murders committed (or bodies found) in Philadelphia, although investigations occasionally required travel outside the city. Cases were also spread out over much of the previous century, with some as recent as a year or two old and others dating back to the 1910s. Generally, an investigation would begin when the police received a new lead, or new direction, on a case.
Over the course of the episode, the detectives would interview witnesses associated with the crime and piece together the story of what led the victims to their death. These interviews were accompanied by flashback sequences to the era of the murder, which dramatized the testimony. Through the flashbacks, the show examined many issues related to 20th century history, includingracism,homophobia,transphobia,sexism,abortion, andpolice brutality.
The show was distinguished by double casting, in which the characters and witnesses would flash back and forth in the scene representing them as they looked at the time of the crime and in the present day. At the end of the episode, when the killer or killers were exposed and confronted, the confession would be in a flashback scene depicting the murder. The police would be shown arresting the killer and walking them into custody. The victims would sometimes also reappear as fading visions to one of the police officers.
The theme song is an excerpt from "Nara" byE.S. Posthumus, with an introduction by series composerMichael A. Levine that begins with an otherworldly wail from vocalist Elise Morris. Besides Levine's original music, each episode makes extensive use of era-appropriate music for flashbacks to the year in question. Some episodes contain music only from one artist such asRay Charles,U2,Bruce Springsteen,Nirvana,Pearl Jam,The Doors,John Mellencamp,Johnny Cash,Bob Seger,Pink Floyd,Tim McGraw,Bob Dylan,Santana,Frank Sinatra andJohn Lennon.Pearl Jam's music was used in the two-part season-six finale, the first time one artist's music has been used for two full episodes.[2]
Danny Pino appeared as Valens in theCSI: NY episode "Cold Reveal". This episode connectedCold Case to not onlyCSI: NY, but also toCSI: Miami,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,CSI: Cyber,CSI: Vegas, andWithout a Trace.[3]
A Japanese remake of the series,Cold Case: Shinjitsu no Tobira (コールドケース 〜真実の扉〜), set inYokohama, was broadcast on cable networkWOWOW Prime from October 22, 2016, to December 24, 2016.[4][5] A second season was broadcast from October 13, 2018, to December 15, 2018,[6] and a third season was broadcast from December 5, 2020, to February 13, 2021.[7] The second and third seasons are filmed in8K and downscaled to4K for broadcast.[8][7]
Cold Case was broadcast in Russia under the titleDetective Rush. Company Star Media produced a Russian adaptation of the series namedWithout Prescription (Без срока давности).[9] The show consisted of 25 episodes.[10]
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At the launch ofCold Case in July 2003, a Canadian journalist asked the launch panel about similarities betweenCold Case and a Canadian series calledCold Squad which had debuted five years earlier.[11][12]Cold Squad fans accused the American series of copying the Canadian program's basic premise and characters. In 2003, theCold Squad creators considered seeking legal redress against theCold Case producers over copyright issues.[13][14] Both shows aired in Canada (and on the same network, CTV). In November 2003, the law firm O'Donnell & Schaeffer confirmed it agreed to represent theCold Squad producers, who claimed the CBS series was a copy of their own hit show.The Globe and Mail reported that Meredith Stiehm, the American series creator, attended a TV writing seminar at theCanadian Film Centre in 2002 where theCold Squad concept was discussed. O'Donnell lawyer, Carole Handler stated: "Our clients are very concerned about many striking similarities and have retained counsel to investigate the situation and, if necessary, to take appropriate action."[11]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 23 | September 28, 2003 (2003-09-28) | May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23) | |
| 2 | 23 | October 3, 2004 (2004-10-03) | May 22, 2005 (2005-05-22) | |
| 3 | 23 | September 25, 2005 (2005-09-25) | May 21, 2006 (2006-05-21) | |
| 4 | 24 | September 24, 2006 (2006-09-24) | May 6, 2007 (2007-05-06) | |
| 5 | 18 | September 23, 2007 (2007-09-23) | May 4, 2008 (2008-05-04) | |
| 6 | 23 | September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28) | May 10, 2009 (2009-05-10) | |
| 7 | 22 | September 27, 2009 (2009-09-27) | May 2, 2010 (2010-05-02) | |
| Season | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | Ranking | Rating | Viewers (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2003–2004 | Sunday 8:00 p.m. | September 28, 2003 | May 23, 2004 | #17 | 9.3[15] | 14.18 | |
| 2nd | 2004–2005 | October 3, 2004 | May 22, 2005 | #14 | 9.7[15] | 15.10 | ||
| 3rd | 2005–2006 | September 25, 2005 | May 21, 2006 | #17 | 9.3[15] | 14.24 | ||
| 4th | 2006–2007 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | September 24, 2006 | May 6, 2007 | #16 | 8.9[15] | 13.98 | |
| 5th | 2007–2008 | September 23, 2007 | May 4, 2008 | #28 | 7.1[16] | 10.89 | ||
| 6th | 2008–2009 | September 28, 2008 | May 10, 2009 | #20 | 7.5[16] | 12.00 | ||
| 7th | 2009–2010 | Sunday 10:00 p.m. (September 27, 2009 – November 15, 2009, February 14, 2010 – May 2, 2010) Sunday 9:00 p.m. (November 22, 2009 – January 17, 2010) | September 27, 2009 | May 2, 2010[17] | #29 | 6.3[16] | 9.86 | |
Cold Case began in September 2003 and quickly became a staple of the CBS Sunday night schedule. The crime drama had a successful first season and, by season two, was averaging a 3.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 15.1 million viewers. For the next couple seasons, total viewership fell slightly but the demographic numbers rose, reaching a 3.8 rating in season four.
In season five, the show averaged a 2.9 rating and just under 11 million viewers and ranked 28th. In season six, the ratings sank lower, to an average of a 2.7 rating but climbed up to 12 million viewers and ranked 20th. CBS made a choice between renewingWithout a Trace andCold Case. They chose to keepCold Case. The real ratings trouble began in the final season, when the show's ratings dropped even further to a 2.15 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 9.6 million viewers. One reason for this is that the show aired at 10:00 pm; the ratings dropped 25% to 9 million viewers.[18] On November 22, 2009, CBS made a final attempt to increase the ratings by schedulingCold Case at 9:00 pm. The ratings increased to 10 million viewers, but it was short-lived because on February 14, 2010,Cold Case returned to its original schedule, at 10:00 pm and the ratings dropped. The show concluded its run in May 2010 ranking at #29. More than two weeks after the series finale aired, CBS announced the show would not be renewed for an eighth season.[18]
On May 18, 2010, CBS announced the cancellation of the series after seven seasons and 156 episodes.[19]
Since it had become customary to end each season with acliffhanger, season 7's final episode, "Shattered", ended leaving viewers wondering about the fates of several characters. The cancellation of the show left those questions unresolved.
In April 2024, a revival of the series was under discussion, but in September 2024Deadline reported that a deal for the proposed series could not be reached between Warner Brothers Television and CBS.[20][21]
The series aired insyndication on CBS, and also onIon Television in the United States. and onViva in Canada.[22]Sleuth also aired the series occasionally. In 2011, the show aired onMyNetworkTV until its removal a year later.[23] The show made its debut on the new over-the-air channelStart TV when it launched on September 3, 2018.[24] It also airs onMBC Action. As of 2022, reruns are often shown onTNT.[25]
After the program's debut in 2003, the show was not released onDVD orBlu-ray due to licensing issues related to the use of contemporary music in each episode.
In May 2020, theRoku Channel in the United States released all episodes ofCold Case to stream for the first time, in ahigh-definition digital format, with full subtitles and all contemporary music from the original CBS broadcasts left intact.[26] The streaming ended in December 2020. The show returned to the service in September 2021.[27]
Cold Case was made available for streaming onHBO Max (at the time called Max) as of June 19, 2023.
All seasons ofCold Case are also available to stream onAmazon Prime in theUnited Kingdom,Australia,Canada,Latin America andIndia.
The series also airs onQuest Red in the United Kingdom and available for streaming onDiscovery+.
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A soundtrack CD was released in 2008 by Lakeshore Records, featuring incidental music composed by Michael A. Levine from the first four seasons, as well as the song 300 Flowers, sung by Robbyn Kirmsse.[29]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Late Returns" | 3:06 |
| 2. | "The Good Death" | 4:12 |
| 3. | "The Park" | 1:08 |
| 4. | "Detective's Reprise" | 1:40 |
| 5. | "Sister Vivian's Flashback" | 1:04 |
| 6. | "Yo, Adrian(featuring Elin Carlson)" | 1:13 |
| 7. | "Churchgoing People" | 1:52 |
| 8. | "Gwen & Rush" | 0:56 |
| 9. | "The Professor" | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Sadie's Blues(featuring Carmen Twillie)" | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Forever Blue" | 4:59 |
| 12. | "Bad Night(featuring Robbyn Kirmsse)" | 2:02 |
| 13. | "Fireflies" | 1:51 |
| 14. | "Carl's Recollection" | 3:42 |
| 15. | "Saving Sammy" | 3:30 |
| 16. | "Freely's Flashback" | 2:07 |
| 17. | "8:03 am" | 2:45 |
| 18. | "Rush & George" | 2:56 |
| 19. | "The Badlands(featuring Jason Ralicki)" | 2:48 |
| 20. | "The Window" | 1:58 |
| 21. | "Train Station" | 1:04 |
| 22. | "300 Flowers(featuring Robbyn Kirmsse)" | 2:48 |
| 23. | "Best Friends" | 2:13 |
| 24. | "Baby Blues" | 3:12 |
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