CSI: Miami ... Rome? Moscow? London?

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Don't look now, Horatio Caine, but your crime-solving team on "CSI: Miami" has a global audience and an international set.

With 50 million viewers worldwide -- including 18.1 million Americans who watched last year -- "CSI: Miami," aired on CBS, topped "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" (both ABC), which ranked second and third, respectively, The Los Angeles Times said Monday.

The second of three CSI shows outpaced the original "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which finished in sixth place, the Times said, reporting on a survey by business research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.

"CSI: Miami" ranks ninth in the United States -- but it's the top-rated U.S. show in France, Italy and Germany and ranks second in Portugal and the Netherlands, the Times said. The three "CSI" shows -- "CSI: New York" is the third -- air in 180 countries.

Capitalizing on its global appeal, the fifth season opens in Brazil. Caine (David Caruso) and crime lab tech Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) follow a gang leader extradited to the South American country, seeking justice in the death of Delko's sister, who was Caine's wife.