'CSI: Miami,' On Location

Stars On Difference It Makes, And Motivations Of Their Characters

(CBS)  "CSI: Miami" is one of TV's most popular dramas, with nearly 20 million viewers tuning in to the CBS drama last week alone.

Thanks to the magic of Hollywood, it normally shoots in California.

But several times a year, the show goes to south Florida and, as The Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith learned, that can make a huge difference for cast members and fans.

"The real aficionados of the show from around the world can tell the Miami footage," David Caruso, who plays Horatio Caine, pointed out to Smith. "So, we hear, 'You gotta be down there more.' And certainly, when we're here, the Miami people want to see it."

And, says Smith, cast members such as Jonathan Toggo, who portrays Ryan Wolfe, seem to thrive in the Miami heat.

"I mean," he told Smith, "every day, I show up and I just can't believe it. It's Bruckheimer. They're doing it. They're blowing up buildings and shooting guns. It's like an eight years olds daydream coming true."

For four seasons, Emily Procter has been playing ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne.

Now, she uses her expertise on the set and off.

"Fortunately and unfortunately," she said, she's still learning about science. "There are times when I think, when is it ever going to end? … But there are times that I feel that I've grown so accustomed to it. There are actually times when there are crimes out there in the world and I find myself trying to figure it out and I ask myself, what am I doing?"

"CSI: Miami," Smith observes, is still basically a show about forensics set in an exotic locale, but this season, the focus has expanded, from what's going on under the microscope to what's happening between the sheets.

Last week, Caruso's character, Caine, married Eric Delko's sister, Marisol Delko, who's played by Alana de La Garza. The storyline has Marisol battling cancer, which has enabled viewers to see Caine's emotional side.

"This relationship," Caine told Smith, "has had a profound effect on the character."

Asked if Caine has gone soft, Caruso responded, "She has opened him in a way that I think he was unprepared for, which I think is kind of nice. … There is no way to have a woman like Marisol come into your life and you not be effected and seriously changed."

Observed, de La Garza, "It's fun to play a little more of the heart, rather than the crime investigation, 'cause that stuff's awesome too, but it's fun to bring that out. And how many chicks can say they are Mrs. Lt. Caine? That's cool!"

And that's brought mixed emotions for Delko, who's played by Adam Rodriguez.