The Short Answer
David Caruso did not quit CSI: Miami in the middle of its run. He played Lieutenant Horatio Caine from the first season to the last.
The show ended because CBS cancelled it in May 2012. Caruso stayed with the series for all 10 seasons, from 2002 to 2012, and appeared in all 232 episodes.
There is no confirmed official reason for a Caruso “leaving” beyond that cancellation. This article does not present guesswork as fact.
Credit: www.nickiswift.com
The Facts at a Glance
- Show: CSI: Miami, CBS
- Run: 23 September 2002 to 8 April 2012
- Seasons: 10
- Episodes: 232
- Caruso’s role: Lieutenant Horatio Caine, in every episode
- End: Cancelled by CBS in May 2012
- Final episode: “Habeas Corpse,” aired 8 April 2012
Why CBS Cancelled the Show
CBS announced the cancellation in May 2012, after the final episode had already aired. That timing matters. The cast and audience did not get a planned farewell episode.
Reports at the time pointed to two linked pressures:
- Falling ratings. Season 10 averaged about 9.85 million viewers, down from about 10.39 million in season 9. It ranked around 27th among broadcast series in its final season, after years in the top 10.
- Rising costs. A 10-season show is expensive to keep making. Cast and crew costs tend to rise over a long run, while the audience was shrinking.
CBS also had to choose between its two CSI spin-offs. It renewed CSI: NY and cancelled CSI: Miami. CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler later described the choice between the two shows as almost a jump ball.
None of that is a confirmed statement that Caruso quit, walked out over pay, or left because he disliked the storylines. Those claims are not the documented reason the show ended.
What Happened in the Final Episode?
The series finale, “Habeas Corpse,” did not kill Horatio Caine off. It did not give him cancer. It did not send him to New York with his wife.
Here is what actually happens in the episode:
- Ryan Wolfe wakes up next to the body of Assistant State Attorney Josh Avery. Ryan cannot remember who killed him.
- Horatio has to arrest Ryan, but the team keeps digging for another suspect.
- Evidence points to Samantha Owens. She admits she accidentally killed Josh while trying to protect Ryan.
- Eddie Coster kidnaps Samantha and Darren Vogel, but Samantha drives off a bridge and kills Coster.
- The episode ends with the team together, not with a funeral for Horatio.
Because the cancellation was announced after filming, the finale was not written as a definitive ending for the characters. Horatio is left alive, still leading the team.
Where the “Faked Death” Confusion Comes From
Horatio did fake his death once, but not in the series finale. It happened four years earlier.
In the season 6 finale, “Going Ballistic” (2008), Horatio is shot on an airport tarmac and appears to die. In the season 7 premiere, “Resurrection,” the truth comes out.
Horatio had staged his death with Ryan Wolfe’s help to go after arms dealer Ron Saris. He was alive, and he returned to the team.
That storyline is often mixed up with the 2012 ending. They are separate events, years apart.
The Marisol Mix-Up, Explained
Horatio’s wife in the show was Marisol Delko, played by Alana de la Garza. She did not move to New York with Horatio in 2012.
Marisol was shot by a Mala Noche sniper and died in season 4, in 2006. Her brief appearance in the season 10 premiere was a vision while Horatio was badly injured, not a return to life.
So the claim that Horatio left Miami with Marisol at the end of the series cannot be right. She had been dead in the story for six years.
A Separate Story: Why Caruso Left NYPD Blue
This section is about a different show, at a different time. It should not be merged with CSI: Miami.
Caruso’s first major television role was Detective John Kelly on ABC’s NYPD Blue (1993-1994). He won a Golden Globe for the role in 1994 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
He left after the first season and four episodes of season 2, for 26 episodes in total. He left to pursue a film career, after failing to obtain the raise he wanted.
That film career did not take off as a leading-man career. Kiss of Death (1995) and Jade (1995) did not make him a movie star.
He returned to television in the short-lived Michael Hayes (1997), which ran for one season. His next major success came in 2002, when he returned as Horatio Caine on CSI: Miami.
What Did David Caruso Do After CSI: Miami?
Very little on screen. That is the honest answer.
His acting years are listed as 1975 to 2012. He has no new screen acting credits after CSI: Miami ended.
After the show, he stepped back from acting and was reported to be involved in the art business. He has also been reported as a co-owner of Steam on Sunset, a clothing store.
He did not take a recurring role on Hawaii Five-0 from 2013 to 2017. Red Eye and Jack Reacher do not belong in his post-CSI: Miami filmography either.
This update gives no salary or net-worth total for Caruso. The figures circulating online are unattributed estimates, not verified accounts, so they are left out rather than repeated as fact.
Who Is David Caruso Married to Now?
Not Rachel Ticotin, and not since 1996. That claim in the old article is wrong.
Ticotin was Caruso’s second wife, from 1984 to 1987. They have a daughter, Greta. His marriages were:
- Cheri Maugans: 1979 to 1984
- Rachel Ticotin: 1984 to 1987
- Margaret Buckley: 1996 to 2007
He also has two children, Marquez and Paloma, with former partner Liza Marquez. His current relationship status is not reliably confirmed, so it is not stated here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did David Caruso leave CSI: Miami in 2002?
No. That date makes no sense. The show started in 2002, and Caruso stayed for its full 10-season run, ending in 2012.
Did David Caruso quit after season 9?
No. There is no confirmed report that he planned to leave after season 9 and was talked into one more year. He was in season 10, including the finale.
Was Horatio Caine killed off?
No. Horatio was shot and appeared to die in the season 6 finale, but that death was faked. In the series finale, he is alive.
Did Horatio Caine have cancer in the final episode?
No. There is no cancer diagnosis in “Habeas Corpse.” That plot point does not exist in the finale.
Is David Caruso still acting?
No new screen acting credits have followed CSI: Miami. He retired from acting after the show ended in 2012 and has kept a low profile since.
Is David Caruso still alive?
There is no credible report of his death. He is a retired actor who has largely stayed out of the public eye since 2012.
Bottom Line
The question itself rests on a false premise. Caruso did not leave CSI: Miami in the way the old article described. He stayed to the end, and CBS ended the show.
The real exit story in his career is the earlier one: leaving NYPD Blue in 1994 to chase film stardom, then rebuilding his career with a decade as Horatio Caine.
