The episode is dedicated to the actor and impressionist Frank Gorshin, who had made a guest appearance playing himself in this episode. Gorshin was a popular headline act in Vegas in his heyday. He died shortly before the episode originally aired.
The plot is loosely based on the December 1968 kidnapping and live burial of Barbara Jane Mackle. She was placed in a specialized, ventilated coffin while being held for ransom.
This gives the first hint of Hodges' love of board games, which bursts into full flower in season eight.
In the United Kingdom, sometimes this episode and the next are stitched together to create a feature-length presentation called "The CSI Movie: Grave Danger".