(CBS) |
Channel: CBS (locally shown
on RPN and AXN)
Genre: Drama - Police procedural
Creators: Anthony E. Zuiker
Running time: 40-44 minutes approx.
Started: October 6, 2000
Status: Running
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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
(commonly referred to as CSI or CSI: Las Vegas)
is a popular, Emmy Award-winning CBS television
series that trails the investigations of a team
of Las Vegas forensic scientists as they unveil
the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual
deaths and crimes committed. The show has spawned
two spinoffs with each enjoying their own success.
The first spin-off, which debuted in September 2002,
is set in Miami (CSI: Miami) and the show's second
is set in New York City (CSI: NY) debuted in May
2004. CSI is produced in partnership with the Canadian
media company Alliance Atlantis.
The show follows the cases of the Crime Scene Investigation
division of the Las Vegas Police Department, usually
referred to by officers as the "Las Vegas Crime
Lab." Anthony E. Zuiker chose to set the series
in Las Vegas because—as mentioned in the pilot
episode—that city's crime lab is the second
most active in the United States, after the FBI
lab in Quantico, Virginia. The division solves crimes
almost entirely through the means of forensics evidence,
which may or may not come to the conclusion of a
murder or accidental death. Keeping in theme with
the setting, investigations often lead to taboo
subjects, such as sexual deviations. The bizarre
conclusions of these cases often force one to question
morals and beliefs and possibly human nature in
general.
Stylistically, the show has drawn favorable comparisons
to Quincy and The X-Files. The show's gadgets and
occasional usage of yet-to-be-invented technology
have moved the show nominally into the genre of
science fiction and garnered it a 2004 Saturn Award
nomination for best network television series.
The series is known for its unusual camera angles,
percussive editing techniques, hi-tech gadgets,
detailed technical discussion, and graphic portrayal
of bullet trajectories, blood spray patterns, organ
damage, methods of evidence recovery (e.g. fingerprints
from the inside of latex gloves), and crime reconstructions.
Many episodes feature lengthy scenes in which experiments,
tests, or other technical work is portrayed in detail,
usually with no sound except accompanying music
— a technique reminiscent of Mission: Impossible.
Often the lighting, composition, and mise-en-scene
elements are heavily influenced by avant-garde film.
Although violence plays an important role in the
series, in terms of the investigators' actual conduct,
the series is actually less violent than its immediate
spin-off, CSI: Miami in that the Las Vegas investigators
rarely use deadly force. In fact, at least one member
of the crime lab has expressed distaste for carrying
a firearm (Gil Grissom), and at least two others
are hinted at as having barely passable firearms
expertise (Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes).
Although most episodes cover the solving of two
(usually unrelated) cases, a few episodes focus
on a single case. In general, the crime is solved,
but in some cases, they fail (which makes the story
more realistic).
CSI: Miami Opening Screen
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CSI: Miami is a spin-off of the
popular CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Like the original CSI, CSI: Miami is a police procedural
about a team of forensic scientists. It is set in
present-day Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. Filmed
in the United States, the series has been exported
to over a dozen countries worldwide. The show averages
20 million viewers an episode, making it Monday's
highest-rated series and one of the most watched
shows in North America. In 2006, Reuters reported
that the show is "the most-watched U.S. series
around the world". The series is distributed
internationally by Alliance Atlantis.
The team investigates mysterious and unusual deaths
to determine who killed whom and why, and also solves
other serious crimes such as rape. The show frequently
focuses on a single case in each episode as opposed
to the two-cases-per-episode storytelling of its
sister shows, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and
CSI: NY.
CSI: NY is an American police
procedural television series which premiered on
September 22, 2004. The series was the second spinoff
from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and was introduced
during an episode of CSI: Miami when Horatio Caine
journeyed to New York City in pursuit of a murder
suspect who fled Miami. It is much bloodier than
the Miami version, and was filmed in a hard blue
light until Season 2, when CBS President Les Moonves
wanted to make the show appear "less cold".
Another crossover (between NY and Miami) was featured
on November 7, 2005, (CSI: Miami) and November 9,
2005, (CSI: NY) which involved a crashed plane and
an escaped serial killer, and included members of
both casts. A forthcoming episode will also feature
a crossover between the series and Philadelphia-based
police procedual Cold Case.
[ CAST
]
Cast of CSI: Las Vegas
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CSI: Las Vegas
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom
(William Petersen): The night shift team supervisor
for the Las Vegas CSI unit, and a forensic entomologist
with a degree in biology from UCLA. Grissom was
born August 17, 1956 (Season 2 Ep. 13 - "Identity
Crisis"). He is very methodical and scientific,
as well as having a congenital medical condition,
otosclerosis, (inherited from his mother), which
threatened to take away his hearing until he had
it corrected by surgery.
Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger):
Blood spatter analyst. She was second-in-command
of the nightshift for the first four seasons, assuming
command when Grissom was out of town or otherwise
on leave. She supported herself through college
by working as an exotic dancer. In the finale of
season 3, Catherine finds out that her father is
Sam Braun, a very rich casino owner in the city
who has been a family friend for as long as she
can remember. She has one daughter (Lindsey) and
is a single mother. Following the split up of the
team in season five, she became supervisor of the
new swing shift team. Following the reunion of the
night shift team in Season 6, she returns to her
previous position as Grissom's right (and left)
arm.
Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan): Audio-Video
analyst. A Las Vegas native and a chemistry major
from UNLV, Brown is an audio/visual analyst. Warrick
also is a recovering gambling addict which is hindered
by the fact he works in Las Vegas. He didn't use
any therapy to get over that addiction: it is Grissom's
friendship and support that has helped him the most.
It is said in one episode that he has a barely passable
expertise with firearms.
Nicholas "Nick" Stokes (George
Eads): Hair and Fiber analyst. An easygoing and
friendly former college baseball player and fraternity
member with a degree in criminal justice from Texas
A&M University, Stokes is a hair and fiber analyst
from Dallas, Texas. Stokes tends to "empathize
instead of sympathize" with the victims, which
has drawn several rebukes from others. Like Warrick,
he has said that he isn't that good with a firearm.
Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox): A materials
and element analyst. A physics major at Harvard
University, Sidle previously worked for the San
Francisco coroner and crime lab. She is completely
devoted to her job and will go to almost any lengths
to make sure justice is served, for both the victims
and the criminals. Her alcoholic father beat her
mother (Laura) until Sara's mother snapped and stabbed
him to death; as a result Sara has difficulties
with dealing with abuse cases against women and
children in her job. Following her father's death
and her mother's subsequent institutionalization,
she was placed into foster care.
Captain James "Jim" Brass (Paul
Guilfoyle): Homicide Captain. Brass was the head
of the CSI unit in Las Vegas until he was moved
back to the police homicide division in the second
episode. He was originally from New Jersey. He continues
to work with CSI despite problems in Season Two
with his daughter. He's now Captain in the homicide
division and works closely with the CSI team. He
is very often the one that leads questionings, and
his sarcastic attitude makes these questionings
darkly humorous, keeping in step with the show's
feel.
Gregory 'Greg' Sanders (Eric Szmanda):
The newest field worker on the CSI team since the
season 5 episode "Who Shot Sherlock".
He idolizes Grissom, once had a crush on Sara Sidle
(a crush that he might not have totally lost), and
is known for his "wacky" behavior. He
is also known for being naive about forensics field
work despite an encyclopaedic knowledge of DNA and
Trace Analysis. Greg, a very intelligent child prodigy,
grew into a man with an unconventional look and
funny attitude. He is known to listen to heavy metal
music such as Marilyn Manson while working, supposedly
to help his concentration. Despite his rebellious
image, he didn't challenge Sara's assertion that
he was a virgin upon entering university.
Dr. Albert 'Al' Robbins (Robert
David Hall): The head county coroner. Married with
three children, he is often the only one who understands
Grissom, and vice versa. They are close friends.
He has two prosthetic legs, and it has been implied
that he lost them in an accident while trying to
dig up a floor at a crime scene.
Detective Sofia Curtis (Louise
Lombard): A CSI who became part of Gil's team after
the mid-season 5 split, courtesy of Ecklie. She
soon considered resignation, upset at the fact that
she had been demoted from acting day shift supervisor.
A recurring character in season five, but in season
six she moved from being a CSI to a Detective. She
became a main character in season seven. When considering
a case or crime scene, she thinks out loud, noting
what she is thinking and seeing. On her first appearance,
she explained to Grissom that it was the best way
for her to concentrate, to notice, to understand,
and to remember everything.
CSI: Miami
Cast of CSI: Miami
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Miami Dade CSI Head Investigator
Lieutenant Horatio Caine played
by David Caruso, is the Head of the Miami-Dade crime
lab, a forensic analyst and former bomb squad officer.
In season 5 episode 9, Caine revealed that everything
he knew had been taught to him by his mentor, Al
Humphreys (played by Lou Beatty, Jr.), who is killed
by an explosion while trying to defuse a bomb in
the episode. Caine was briefly married to Eric Delko's
sister Marisol, which ended when she was murdered
by a Mala Noche sniper.
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective
Calleigh Duquesne played by Emily
Procter, is a ballistics specialist. Her father
is an alcoholic attorney who has tried to rehabilitate
himself several times. She has a brief relationship
with John Hagen in season 2; in the season 3 finale
Hagen shoots himself while she is getting a different
gun, after having pulled a gun on her earlier in
the episode. In season 4, there were hints at some
sort of relationship with Special Agent Peter Elliot.
At the beginning of Season 5, she is temporarily
in charge of the lab while Horatio and Delko are
in Brazil. She appears to be very good friends with
fellow CSIs Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe.
Miami Dade CSI Level 3 Detective
Eric Delko played by Adam Rodriguez
is a fingerprint and drug identification expert
of Cuban and Russian descent. In episode 410, "Shattered",
Delko's job is endangered when he is arrested for
drug possession, but it turns out he had been buying
the drugs for his sister Marisol, to ease the pain
of her leukemia treatments. Delko's sister was murdered
by a Mala Noche sniper after she married Delko's
boss, Horatio Caine. He is also the team's underwater
recovery expert. While trying to rescue a woman
kidnapped by escapee Clavo Cruz, Delko was critically
wounded by one of Cruz's henchmen. He survived,
and is now back on the team.
Miami Dade Medical Examiner Dr.
Alexx Woods played by Khandi Alexander,
is a Miami-Dade medical examiner. Alexx began her
medical career in New York as a physician and became
a medical examiner with the CSI team after moving
to Miami for personal reasons. She often talks to
the dead bodies as she examines them, usually as
a way of giving them comfort in death. She is married
with a young son and daughter. Alexx is not the
chief medical examiner, as proved in one the episodes
when she was offered to transfer to the night shift
by the Chief Medical Examiner, but rejected.
Miami Dade CSI Level 1 Detective
Ryan Wolfe played by Jonathan Togo,
Ryan was working as a police officer at the time
he was hired by Horatio, who noted with approval
that Ryan kept his firearm immaculately clean (his
predecessor, Speedle, died in the line of duty as
a direct result of his poor gun maintenance). He
first appeared in the episode "Under the Influence",
but did not become a regular cast member until "Hell
Night". Ryan appears to believe in curses ("Curse
of the Coffin"). Ryan was impaled in the eye
with a nailgun in one episode ("Nailed").
Ryan was fired at the end of the episode "Burned"
(5x22) for being directly linked to a murder suspect
and lying about it. His future within the series
is now uncertain, although he did appear in the
following episode as a crime scene expert and former
CSI on TV.
MDPD Homicide Detective Francis
'Frank' Tripp played by Rex Linn, is a
Texan homicide detective who regularly accompanies
the team to the crime scenes. He has a gruff demeanor
and while not having much knowledge of forensic
procedures, has an appreciation for the capabilities
of the CSI's and moreso of their results. He has
a good working relationship with all the CSIs, particularly
Calleigh. He is divorced, with three kids (episode
118, "Dispo Day"). Made regular in season
5, recurring previously.
Miami Dade CSI Trainee Natalia
Boa Vista played by Eva LaRue, a new Latina
DNA analyst only allowed to work on cold or unsolved
cases due to the restrictions of her federal grant.
She and Delko dated briefly. They broke it off after
a pregnancy scare. She escaped an abusive marriage
before joining the crew, when her association with
a society for battered women was key to helping
the team solve the murder of a woman (who had been
killed by the victim's ex-husband) assuming an alias
for protection. It was revealed at the end of the
fourth season that she was the mole in the lab,
but the negative information soiling the lab's reputation
was not leaked by Boa Vista but by State Attorney
Monica West, and Boa Vista had only reported information
to the Feds that showed the lab in a positive light.
As of season 5, she became a CSI field trainee and
has joined the main cast (she had previously been
a recurring character in season 4) and, much to
her distress, she discovered her abusive ex-husband,
Nick Townsend, was out of prison and served her
a restraining order; as he was working for a private
company that cleans up crime scenes, which created
a difficult situation with forcing her to make terms
with him to get the restraining order dropped. The
two shared a tense professional relationship until
Nick's murder, a crime for which Boa Vista was briefly
considered the prime suspect.
CSI: New York
Cast of CSI: New York
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NYPD CSI Head Investigator Detective 1st Grade Mac
Taylor, played by Gary Sinise, is the leader
of the CSI team. The death of his wife, Claire Conrad
Taylor, in the 9/11 attacks troubles him to this
day, causing chronic insomnia. He served in the
USMC, once saying that he had wanted to serve the
country more than anything else in the world. He
served in Beirut in 1983, from which he still bears
a scar over his heart. Mac will protect three things
at any cost: the honor of his country, the safety
of his city, and the integrity of his lab. This
is why he chose to fire Aiden Burn (see below) after
she tampered with evidence. Mac has a close friendship
with Stella Bonasera and plays bass guitar at jazz
clubs during his off time. This talent was discovered
by Lindsay Monroe when she observed, during an investigation,
that he knew how to hold the instrument. In season
three, he is revealed to have been dating Dr. Peyton
Driscoll, played by Claire Forlani. He also met
the son that Claire had given birth to years before
they met, only after the boy, now a teenager named
Reed Garrett, was found to be shadowing Stella,
thinking that she was Claire.
NYPD CSI Detective 1st Grade Stella Bonasera,
played by Melina Kanakaredes, is absolutely devoted
to her job due to her strong personality, determination
and intelligence. She is a half-Greek, half-Italian
orphan, who grew up moving throughout foster homes.
She is very close to Mac and constantly worries
about his physical and mental well-being. In episode
221 ("All Access"), Stella was held captive
in her own home by her unstable boyfriend, Frankie
Mala, and was forced to kill him. Because of her
close relationship with Mac, she was mistakenly
thought to be Mac's late wife, Claire, by Reed Garrett,
a child that Claire had given birth to and put up
for adoption before she had met Mac. In a season
3 episode Stella came in contact with HIV postive
blood. After waiting for the test results, she discovered
that she is HIV negative.
NYPD CSI Detective 3rd Grade Danny Messer,
played by Carmine Giovinazzo, is arguably the most
complex of the main cast. He grew up in a family
under surveillance. Danny formulated his own set
of hybrid ethics, blending the world of law-breakers
with the world of lawmakers. Danny had a short lived
career in the music business, and was at one time
an excellent baseball player. Danny played all through
school and collage, and would have gone on to the
majors, but broke his wrist in a fight, which ended
his shortstop carer. After that, he went to the
police academy and graduated first in his class.
Mac personally selected Danny to join his team,
which is an honor and responsibility that Danny
attempts to live up to every day. He does not trust
people easily, as shown in episodes: "A Man
a Mile," "Rain," and once again in
"Hung Out to Dry". In episode 220 ("Run
Silent, Run Deep"), Danny was implicated in
a 15-year-old cold murder case. His brother Louie,
who was involved with the infamous Tanglewood Boys,
was severely beaten and left in a coma after acquiring
evidence exonerating him in the case. Danny has
developed a crush on co-worker Lindsay Monroe, who
initially declined his advances, albeit reluctantly
("Love Run Cold"). In "Sleight Of
Hand," Danny travels to Montana to support
Lindsay as she testifies as a witness in a murder
trial. After the verdict, Danny embraces a grateful
Lindsay and they leave the courtroom hand in hand.
NYPD CSI Detective 3rd Grade Dr. Sheldon
Hawkes, played by Hill Harper, was formerly
a Medical Examiner with the NYC Office of the Chief
Medical Examiner (OCME). He was a child prodigy
who graduated college at eighteen, and by 24 he
was a fully board-licensed surgeon. He had several
years experience in the ER (episode 202, "Grand
Murder at Central Station"). After losing two
patients, he abandoned surgery in favor of the medical
examiner's office. At the start of season 2, Hawkes
has moved from the autopsy room out into the field.
In episode 311, "Raising Shane," Hawkes
is arrested as the prime suspect in a robbery and
murder, but the rest of the team, despite being
removed from the case, end up proving his innocence
through a seemingly unrelated case.
NYPD Homicide Detective 1st Grade Donald
Flack, Jr., played by Eddie Cahill, comes
from a long line of law enforcement officials. He
bridges the gap between old school NYPD and the
new generation of CSI. He is a witty homicide detective
who has very little patience with the "bad
guy", and his techniques are sometimes considered
somewhat borderline, though effective. He is good
friends with Danny Messer, and is always willing
to lend an ear to Danny's problems (as in the episode
"On The Job"). Flack has to arrest his
former police mentor, Gavin Moran, when it comes
to light that Moran had concealed evidence in episode
117 ("The Fall"). During the season 2
finale, Flack was severely injured in a bomb explosion,
and ended season 2 still in a coma. As of the season
3 premiere, he is fully recovered and back on duty
with CSI, chasing down suspects with all of his
previous endurance. Flack is very protective of
his "guys," sometimes to a fault. In "Consequences,"
he was reluctant to help Mac when evidence seemed
to point to one of his men as the killer in a case
Mac was working. Flack is ordered to hand his notebook,
in which are details of a drug bust in which some
of the drugs disappeared, over to Mac, which causes
some serious tension between them. The tension came
to a head during the events of "Sweet 16."
NYPD CSI Detective 3rd Grade Lindsay Monroe,
played by Anna Belknap (season 2 - present), worked
as a CSI for three years in Montana and finally
realized her dream of moving to a big city like
New York. Her Midwestern work ethic and willingness
to roll up her sleeves and tackle any job is a welcome
addition to the team where she is quickly put through
rookie training by Mac on their first case. Excited
and always willing to learn, Lindsay offers a fresh
perspective to the lab, rarely hinting at the dark
and devastating secret that originally motivated
her to dedicate her life to being a CSI. She often
does little experiments with science and the evidence,
which has endeared her to Stella and Mac. When she
first came to New York, she was typically given
all of the dirty jobs, like sifting through tiger
dung ("Zoo York") and recovering evidence
from a pool of lubricant ("Trapped").
Because of her roots, Danny affectionately calls
her "Montana." When he pursues a relationship
with her, however, Lindsay refuses, haunted by the
resurgent memories of witnessing the senseless murder
of her friends when she was younger ("Love
Run Cold," "Silent Night"), and it
is only until after her testimony helps convict
the suspect in the multiple murders that she shows
signs of allowing herself to get closer to Danny.
[
CRITICAL REACTION ]
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, along with CBS's
hit franchise Survivor, was instrumental in CBS
instantly becoming a major competitor on Thursday
nights, as well as becoming the most-watched network
on U.S. television. It was announced on December
19, 2000 that CBS was going to move CSI (from Fridays)
and Survivor (from Wednesdays) to Thursday nights
starting in February 2001 to challenge NBC's long-standing
and popular Must See TV lineup, which included the
hit shows, Friends and Will & Grace. As a result,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the most-watched
program on television for the 2002-2003 TV season[2]
and has been in the top 3 of the most-watched TV
programs every season since the 2001-2002 TV season.
The 2004-2005 season finale, directed by Quentin
Tarantino and entitled Grave Danger, was watched
by over 40 million viewers on May 19, 2005.
Criticism
CSI has often been criticized for the level and
gratuitousness of graphic violence, images and sexual
content. The CSI series (along with its spinoff
shows) have pushed the boundary of what is considered
acceptable viewing for primetime network television.
The series had numerous episodes on sexual fetishism
and other forms of sexual pleasure.
Another criticism of the show is the depiction of
police procedure, which is decidedly lacking in
realism. For instance, the show's characters not
only investigate crime scenes (as their real-world
counterparts would), but they also solve cases,
which falls under the responsibility of detectives,
not CSI personnel. However, some of the main characters
are detectives that team up with the forensic scientists.
Police and District Attorneys in particular dislike
the show as it gives members of the public an inaccurate
perception of how police solve crimes. District
Attorneys state that the conviction rate in cases
with little physical evidence has decreased, largely
due to the influence of CSI on jury members.
The LGBT community has criticized the show for its
negative representation of LGBT characters. However,
this claim is not very well supported, as nearly
all non-regular characters on CSI are criminals,
and therefore portrayed in a negative manner. In
addition, the fifth season episode "Ch-Ch-Changes"
was received positively by the transgender community
in particular.
[ AWARDS
]
Awards
Emmy:
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-camera
Series - 2006
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2003
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic)
- 2002
Nominations
Emmy:
Outstanding Single-camera Sound Mixing For A Series
- 2006
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2006
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series - 2005:
Quentin Tarantino
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (non-prosthetic)
- 2005
Outstanding Single-camera Sound Mixing For A Series
- 2005
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2005
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series
- 2004
Outstanding Drama Series - 2004
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic)
- 2004
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series
- 2004
Outstanding Drama Series - 2003
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2003:
Marg Helgenberger
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic)
- 2003
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Prosthetic) - 2003
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series
- 2003
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series
- 2002
Outstanding Drama Series - 2002
Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Prosthetic) - 2002
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series
- 2002
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2002
Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series
- 2001
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2001
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A
Series - 2001
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2001
