"Pilot" is the first episode and the series premiere of the American crime drama . It first aired on October 6, 2000 on the CBS network in the United States. The premise of the show revolves around the crime scene investigators working for the Las Vegas Police Department. The pilot introduces the main characters of Gil Grissom (William Petersen), Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nick Stokes (George Eads), Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) and Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle). The pilot was written by series creator Anthony E. Zuiker and directed by Danny Cannon.