C-16 referred to a special unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that was assigned to the most difficult cases. The unit, based in Los Angeles, was hand-picked by SAC John Olansky (Eric Roberts).
Vinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer.
The FBI's team of Cyber Crime Investigators, headed by Special Agent Avery Ryan, works to solve cases involving the dark-net. Avery, a Special Agent in Charge and esteemed Cyber-Psychologist heads up a team, including Senior Special Agent Elijah Mundo, tasked with solving murders, cyber-theft, hacking, sex offences, and blackmail.
Unorthodox but effective FBI veteran agent Charles Barker takes on a rookie partner, Ellis Dove. Barker trains Dove in a hard-edged, psychologically driven approach towards undercover work, where a moment's hesitation can lead to death. As the job takes its toll on Dove, an Internal Affairs team tries to enlist the rookie as a double-agent in the bureau's investigation of his partner.
The show follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.