CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete 3rd Season (DVD)

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A few weeks ago, I read an article that contained an interview with actor William L. Peterson, who plays Gil Grissom, the lead character on television´s most popular series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations". In it, he vented his displeasure with the producers of the show on their decision to spin-off yet another "CSI" series in the fall, this time called "CSI: New York". Like Peterson, who basically threatened to leave the show because of this new development, I too can´t imagine what good another "CSI" series will do to the current two, except maybe make another boatload of money for Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. As a loyal viewer and big fan of the original "CSI", I feel that they are spreading the show´s core ideas too thin, much like cloning the goose that lays the golden egg and expecting a perfect genetic match, or in this case, a sure-fire hit every time. Just like when Coca-Cola foolishly changed its formula in 1985 in response to the Cola Wars, new doesn´t always mean better. Let me tell you the reason why.

Three "CSI" shows a week will bombard the show´s core audience with basically the same type of stories, just with a different cast and at a different location. That is just frankly, three times too many for me. The first spin-off, "CSI: Miami", which is now in its second season, does not even hold a candle to the original as its cast members do not gel well and the main characters are only remotely semi-interesting and utterly forgettable. In fact, I am currently suffering from "CSI"-fatigue following both series each week and have decided to just stick to my favorite CSI team. In a case of striking while the iron is still red-hot, the producers of "CSI" are trying to Law And Order-ize the show. Granted, the three "L&O" series currently on the air--to Dick Wolf´s credit--are all successful, but they are each unique in their own way, which is sadly not the case with "CSI". They offer the same formula, just in a different setting. The least that the producers can do right this time around is to cast the new show well after the disaster with "CSI: Miami". The good news is that the very able Gary Sinise is now on board as the lead character for "CSI: New York", which is a great start.

Currently in the midst of its fourth season, the original "CSI" is still as compelling as the day it started. Many shows take at least a few seasons to come together but "CSI" shot off into the lead right from the starter´s gun. For the benefit of those who don´t follow the series, "CSI" tells the story of the graveyard shift team of criminologists from the Las Vegas Criminalistics Bureau. Headed by the intelligent but sometimes clueless Gil Grissom (William L. Peterson), the team consists of Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan), Nick Stokes (George Eads) and Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). Also along for the ride on most of the cases are lab technician, Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda), coroner Dr. Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) and Police Captain Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle).

"CSI" has not been a show that dwells too much on the main characters´ backgrounds or follow what they do during their off days. It gets right down to the gory business of solving heinous crimes through forensic means. Season Three, however, seeks to marry both these aspects into the show. We caught a glimpse of Grissom´s gradual hearing loss in the previous two seasons and in this season, his ailment gets worse, to the point of impeding his work, which leads him to seek medical help. While Catherine suffers through a very personal tragedy in the episode "Lady Heather´s Box", Sara tries to make sense of her relationship with her paramedic boyfriend, Hank (Christopher Wiehl) when the an ugly truth is revealed during a routine investigation in "Crash And Burn". In the episode "Random Acts Of Violence", Warrick´s troubled childhood is brought into focus as he investigates the drive-by shooting of his mentor´s young daughter. Starting with the episode "Play With Fire", Greg the lab tech, who is usually a supporting character helping the CSIs´ with behind the scenes lab work, gets a chance to play a bigger role on the show when he is injured in a lab accident. That episode is sort of a prelude of bigger things for that character as in the current airing of the fourth season, Greg is groomed by the team to go out on the field.

The success of "CSI" is neither a fluke nor is it an enigma. Everybody loves a good crime mystery and the writers of the show are able to fuse old-fashion murders with the use of high-tech gadgetry and methods to effectively produce an intriguing hour of intelligent cat-and-mouse games played brilliantly by the both sides of the law. Instead of shoving another generic hour of a "whodunit" down our reluctant throats, "CSI" patiently focuses on the "howdunit", giving the audience a chance to sift through the evidence side-by-side with the CSIs. Today´s crime scene investigators or better known as forensic scientists, are the modern equivalent of a group of Sherlock Holmes with cool toys and well-equipped laboratories at their disposal. Using up-to-date scientific methods and tools to collect and interpret evidence left behind at crime scenes, CSIs try to piece together how crimes are committed in order to nab the bad guys. "CSI"´s co-creator Anthony E. Zuiker, perhaps building upon the public´s increasing exposure to how forensic science helps law enforcement agencies break high profile cases, has assembled a competent group of consultants that culls their experience as real-life CSIs to help keep the show rooted in real science and believable plots. And that, is the key to the show´s continued success.