Even after four seasons, the stories are still very imaginative and the production quality is simply unmatched.
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In my last review of "CSI: The Complete Third Season", I foolishly vented my displeasure of seeing one of my favorite television shows get cloned by CBS like there is no tomorrow. I also foolishly proclaimed that the second and latest spin-off, "CSI: NY", will not take off and that three CSI programs in a week is just one too many. Apparently I was wrong. That was before all three series in the "CSI" franchise became top 20 shows on the Nielsen ratings this fall, with the original CSI still firmly sitting at number one while the other two, "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY" languishing in the second half of the top 20. I guess Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS head Les Moonves can both slap me silly and make me call them Daddy! Now I know how Pedro Martinez must feel like, playing at Yankee Stadium! I guess if Dick Wolf can do it with his "Law & Order" franchise (currently there are three L&O series but this number will increase next fall), why can´t Bruckheimer do the same with "CSI", right? Even with the success of all three "CSI" series, I must still point out the fact that the original "CSI" is still the best of the three in my books, which is also reflected in its number one TV rating. However, in "CSI: NY"´s defense, its lower rating could be caused by the simple fact that it is up against intense competition in the form of the original "Law & Order" in the same 10pm timeslot on Wednesdays.
"CSI" is part of a genre on television called procedurals that was made popular by cop shows like the original "Dragnet". Procedurals are TV shows that wrap up its story neatly in a single episode, making it easy for television audiences to follow such series without losing any sleep over a missed episode. Procedurals also do better in syndication because of their non-serial nature, which makes it easy for anyone to just pop in and catch any episode they want. Some might argue that what good is a months-long 23-episode television series if there is no character development or an on-going plot to follow? For "CSI", there are little glimpses of the investigators´ personal lives throughout the series but they are always kept to a minimum. We know that Katherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) was a former stripper, is a single mother and that her ex-husband got killed in a car accident from a previous episode of the show; we know that Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) had a troubled childhood growing up in a bad neighborhood and used to have a gambling problem; we know that Nick Stokes (George Eads) used to like a beautiful con woman named Tiffany (played by Kari Wuhrer) who got killed in another episode; we know that Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) used to work for Grissom and has a "thing" for him; and finally we know that Gil Grissom (William Petersen) loves bugs, is meticulous and had a hearing problem which impeded his work for a while until he got it fixed in the closing scene at the end of last season.
And so we come to Season Four. As actress Marg Helgenberger, who plays Katherine Willows, puts it so succinctly in the first episode of this season as the camera pans to a fresh-looking Grissom, saying, "You´re back!" After enduring some criticism for emphasizing too much on Grissom´s hearing loss last season, the writers decided to start fresh in Season Four and to go back to what the series does best. So, with a stroke of the pen, Grissom´s hearing is fixed and he is back to his old self again, this time with a full beard (harking back to his tough guy image from "Manhunter"). To quickly emphasize the point that Grissom´s hearing is restored, we see him smiling slyly in the opening scene of the first episode, as he gestures to Katherine telling her that her cell phone is buzzing ever so softly. Hallelujah! Grissom can hear again. So there we go, Grissom´s hearing is as good as new and the show can now move on!
Season Four opens with a 2-episode story arc that has our Las Vegas CSI crew from the graveyard shift tracking down a pair of serial killers that prey on young attractive couples by forcing the husbands to kill their wives. The title of the first episode is "Assume Nothing" and it is a highly appropriate one since it more or less sums up the theme for the entire fourth season, telling the audience that what they see may not be what they will get. In its fourth season, "CSI" is still able to maintain a high standard in terms of writing and acting. Almost all of the 23 episodes from this season are great and I can´t think of one that really stands out except for maybe the season finale "Bloodlines", in which Grissom almost couldn´t figure out how a suspect, positively identified by the victim, could fool DNA testing. Another episode that pops out (if only for its non-Las Vegas setting) is "Jackpot" where Grissom goes solo and investigates the death of a man whose severed head was found in the tiny town of Jackpot, Nevada.
Also of interest is the continuing saga of Katherine´s relationship with her biological father, casino magnate Sam Braun (Scott Wilson) whom she unwittingly helped beat a murder charge last season. In the episode "No More Bets", when two men are found murdered after they scammed several of Braun´s casinos, Katherine is immediately taken off the case due to the conflict of interest charges that might stem from her participation in the investigation. It is also revealed in the episode "Jackpot", that Katherine cashed a big check from Braun, which further clouds her judgment and probably her motives as well. This is perhaps the only ongoing personal storyline that has been allowed to continue for so long in a show that prides itself on wrapping up a case in a nice tight bundle in 45 minutes.
Fans of this show, who are very familiar with the main and supporting characters, will get to appreciate the evolution of the some of them in this season. Biggest of all is former lab technician Greg Sanders, played by Eric Szmanda, who now gets more time in the field, helping the CSI team collect evidence. However, Sanders´ ascension to doing fieldwork is perhaps one of the biggest disconnects that I personally feel does not work well on the show. I guess I am so used to seeing Sanders working his magic in the lab, the image of him out in the field just doesn´t work for me. His geeky demeanor really does not fit in with the rest of the more experienced crew. On the other hand, I would love to see the always-darkly funny county coroner, Dr. Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) get more screen time with an episode dedicated solely to him. I must say that I always look forward to Robbins´ witty banters with Grissom, which have produced some really funny one-liners. Season Four also sees the introduction of Xander Berkeley, who plays goat-turned-hero George Mason on the Fox series "24", as the new sheriff, Rory Atwater. As usual, the sheriff is politically motivated and Grissom has work hard to contend with this one as well.
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