The following contains spoilers for CSI: Vegas Season 2, Episode 1, "She's Gone," which debuted Thursday, Sept. 29 on CBS.
The first season of CSI: Vegas developed a strong friendship and possible romance between Josh Folsom and Allie Rajan. Fans waiting to find out if Josh and Allie would move forward in Season 2 were disappointed by the season premiere "She's Gone," which introduced Serena Chavez as both the new detective and Josh's girlfriend. The subplot of the episode was clearly written to indicate that there's going to be some personal tension between the three characters, even as their professional relationships remain solid -- setting up yet another procedural love triangle.
"She's Gone" established that Allie had left Las Vegas to train with the FBI and the show's anchor Josh started a relationship with Serena in her absence. That would've been well and good, but CSI: Vegas dropped plenty of hints that Josh and Allie's ship hadn't sailed. The duo still had great chemistry together... only for Serena to walk in while Allie was asking Josh about her. Serena was enthusiastic to meet Allie since Josh had said so much about her. Near episode's end, Josh texted Allie to ask if they could talk... just before turning in for the night with Serena. All of the beats were made for a future love triangle, but CSI: Vegas has a chance to take the old concept in a new direction.
Why CSI: Vegas Season 2 Has a Love Triangle
Romantic subplots are essentially a requirement of modern television. The procedural genre loves interoffice romances because audiences respond to those storylines. Grissom and Sara in the original CSI and Upstead on Chicago P.D. are ships that became huge parts of their series' fan bases. That made it no surprise when CSI: Vegas began to develop Josh and Allie's loyal friendship into a potential relationship. Thanks to the genuine chemistry between Matt Lauria and Mandeep Dhillon, the tired idea actually worked; it was fun to see the duo on screen together, particularly in how Allie challenged Josh's perception of himself.
However, it's specifically because the actors played those more vulnerable notes so well and created such a layered dynamic between their characters that CSI: Vegas Season 2 couldn't just pick up where it left off. Putting Josh and Allie together in Season 2 wouldn't be as satisfying as allowing that relationship to continue to develop on its own terms while the characters continue to be fleshed out like second seasons always do. Josh and Allie, as well as Lauria and Dhillon, deserved more payoff than a rushed dénouement. And the easiest way to keep characters apart -- while also maintaining their romantic tension -- is to create a love triangle.
How CSI: Vegas Can Avoid Love Triangle Tropes
While love triangles are overdone and can also sometimes bring down shows, CSI: Vegas has proven with its writing for Josh and Allie that it can develop non-clichéd relationships, so it should be able to do that with Josh, Allie and Serena. The latter is the key to how the storyline fares. Serena being the group's police contact means she has to be more than Josh's girlfriend. "She's Gone" also took an important step in how she reacted to Allie; she was enthusiastic about meeting her, even with Josh having talked a lot about Allie. Serena and Allie being able to see one another as individuals and colleagues -- rather than simplifying each other down to rivals -- will be important. They deserve scenes together that have nothing to do with Josh.
CSI: Vegas can also do what many TV shows overlook in general: develop the male-female friendship. It's so rare to see male and female characters who simply remain friends; even Suits, which had an incredible rapport between Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen, eventually had them marry in the end. Serena's presence doesn't mean Josh and Allie's friendship has to turn into nothing but romantic tension. When Grissom became involved with Sara, he still had a fantastic friendship with Catherine Willows. (In fact, Catherine picking up on the triangle could provide an interesting perspective.) And even if Josh eventually crosses the line with Allie, Serena could still remain on the show as the detective and Josh's friend. It would matter to see a friendship that survives out of a romantic relationship.
It's understandable that CSI: Vegas wants a Josh/Allie/Serena triangle, for both narrative and ratings reasons. Yet just because it exists doesn't mean the show has to follow the formula. Jason Tracey and his writing staff ought to reinvent the trope just like they resurrected the original CSI.
CSI: Vegas airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on CBS and streams on Paramount+.