NDSU Spectrum: TV review
‘C.S.I.’ is all about the evidence
By JOHN HANSEN
April 6, 2001
“Ma’am, I’m not a cop. I’m a crime scene investigator.”
This is a phrase heard often from Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and other characters on “C.S.I.,” the highest-rated new show of the TV season. Although it looks like a cop or law drama at first glance, “C.S.I.” actually focuses on forensics specialists who uncover obscure evidence — say, a fingernail, a belt loop or a revelatory pattern of blood spatter — that allows them to recreate the crime.
“C.S.I.” isn’t exactly fine cuisine, but with over 20 million viewers tuning in each week, it seems to serve up meat-and-potatoes entertainment that appeals to the masses.
Created by Anthony Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, “C.S.I.” showcases the myriad ways in which clues can be uncovered and crimes solved — from something as simple as blue lights to find fingernail clippings to something as complex as reenacting a shooting. On this show, if the characters commit a crime, they will be caught. This has to be refreshing to law-abiding citizens and somewhat distressing to anyone planning a big crime.
But beyond the obvious hooks, “C.S.I.” has struggled to overcome a coldness and precision that’s probably inevitable on a forensics show. It also has a feeling of “been there, done that.” The plot twists are often lifted from other shows or movies (a recent episode featured a schizophrenic criminal straight out of “Primal Fear”). And when the writers take a step back from the current case and focus on the characters’ lives, we realize they’re actually rather dull people.
Grissom is a workaholic because he loves his job. Sara Sidel (Jorja Fox) is obsessed with seeing people pay for their crimes, especially when she gets attached to a victim. Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) struggles to find time for her child amidst her work duties. Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) has a gambling problem. Nick Stokes (George Eads) romances a hooker only to become a suspect in her murder. Frankly, I can’t think of anything interesting that’s happened to Captain Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) so far this season.
Most of the show’s unique traits are on the technical side, rather than the character side. We see a steady parade of crime-solving technology. Rather than hearing the victim or suspect explain what happened, we actually see how it happened (or rather, how they say it happened). Sometimes the camera follows the path of a bullet through a body — not something you see every day.
“C.S.I.” nicely illuminates the flaws of our justice system. Often times, an episode will end with an epilogue showing that the criminal doesn’t always get what they deserve. Sometimes the punishment is more severe than it should be, as with the teenager who accidentally runs over a kid by pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake in a panic. Sometimes the penalty isn’t severe enough — even non-existent — as with the supposed schizophrenic who abuses her parents’ love to help her escape jail time.
Many episodes end with the C.S.I.s shaking their heads in disgust, and it’s often the most emotional part of the hour. Some of the stories just beg for a crossover with one of the billions of cop or lawyer shows on TV.
But for now, we’ll have to stick with the cold and the precise, because no one’s going to mess with a winning formula.
What: “C.S.I.” Season 1
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays on CBS
Starring: William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle
Executive Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Grade (episodes 1-18): B
“C.S.I.” Season 1 (2000-01, CBS) — For a show that ranks somewhere in the middle among its genre (“Law & Order,” for instance, is better), “C.S.I.” has received a lot of critical praise and even more viewers (it became TV’s highest-rated new show).
Maybe people just like educational programming. After all, you’d be unlikely to find a better lesson in forensics than you’ll get here. Dusting, reenactments, sheer guesswork — it’s all here. However, the “just-the-facts-ma’am” side of the show is undermined by too many stories that delve into sci-fi territory, such as a story about a woman with a medical condition that requires her to drink blood. Leave that to “The X-Files,” please; they do it better anyway. B-
— John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Summer 2001