‘CSI: Miami’ looks to be instant winner for CBS Caruso, Delaney lead cast of promising spinoff

One of tonight’s new series would seem to be the no-brainer of the season.

Take “CSI,” CBS’s top-rated show, transplant it to another colorful location, and you should have an instant winner.

“CSI: Miami,” debuting at 10 on CBS, lives up to these great expectations, with proven leads, a strong ensemble cast and all the forensic wizardry that viewers have come to appreciate from the original series.

The show’s producers, led by Jerry Bruckheimer, haven’t strayed far from the “CSI” formula. There’s the handsome leading man, the attractive female co-lead, the sparring younger males (one white, one a minority), the fetching younger female and the eccentric coroner.

Horatio Caine (David Caruso, “NYPD Blue”), a former homicide detective, leads the forensic unit. Megan Donner (Kim Delaney, freed when “Philly” was canceled), a DNA specialist and the unit’s former head, matches her science against his instincts. There’s a tension between the two that doesn’t exist on the parent show.

Rounding out the team are ballistics expert Calleigh Dusquene (Emily Procter, “The West Wing”), streetwise investigator Tim Speedle (Rory Cochrane), underwater recovery expert Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) and coroner Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander, “Newsradio”).

There’s all the evidence collecting, zooming closeups and body parts that one expects from “CSI.” The ever-whispering Caruso and the often-exasperated Delaney are a winning combination, supported by a likable, pretty cast.

In short, if you like “CSI,” you’ll enjoy “CSI: Miami.” This is bad news for the similarly themed “Crossing Jordan” on NBC, one of last year’s few solid rookies, which resides in the same time slot.

Also premiering tonight, but not reviewed, is “Half & Half,” a family comedy about two stepsisters who meet as adults, which airs at 9:30 on UPN.